Pune: Over 20,000 Citizens Affected as PMC Shifts Kharadi Societies to Ward 15
Reported by Shoaib Tadvi
Pune, 31st August 2025: A storm is brewing in Kharadi after the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) released its draft ward delimitation plan for the upcoming civic elections. Several prominent housing societies along the Kharadi–Mundhwa main road and Riverside Road have been shifted from Ward 4 (Kharadi) to Ward 15 (Keshavnagar–Manjari) — a move that has triggered widespread anger among residents.
Citizens argue that the decision is not only geographically illogical but also administratively damaging. For an area that has rapidly grown into one of Pune’s largest IT and residential hubs, residents fear that such arbitrary redrawing of boundaries will disrupt urban planning, weaken civic accountability, and affect day-to-day governance.
The Kharadi Housing Societies Welfare Association (KHSWA) has formally submitted an objection letter, dated August 25, 2025, to the Municipal Commissioner, highlighting serious flaws in the proposed ward boundaries. According to the association, Kharadi has functioned under a single ward identity since 2009. The new draft splits the area into two wards — keeping societies like Ganga Constella, Forest County, and Gulmohar Queenstown in Ward 4, while shifting Nyati Empire, Nyati Elysia, Riverdale, Liviano, Zen Estate, and others into Ward 15. Residents say this violates the principle of natural and historical continuity.
Mehzabin Saiyed, a resident of Nyati Empire Society, said:
“We live along the Kharadi–Mundhwa main road and Riverside Road and have always been part of Ward 4. The shifting of our societies to Ward 15 is geographically and administratively illogical. Our schools, hospitals, markets, and civic amenities are all centered in Kharadi. Moving us to Ward 15 creates inefficiency and disconnects us from the community we belong to. For Pune’s fastest-growing IT hub, rational ward boundaries are crucial. We strongly urge that our societies be restored to Ward 4 for consistent and citizen-centric governance.”
The association has also stressed that Kharadi alone has over 65,000 voters, sufficient to constitute an independent ward. Splitting them into two wards, they argue, will create confusion over corporator jurisdiction, voting centers, and grievance redressal points.
KHSWA Chairman Deepak Patil said:
“Kharadi has enough voters to form a full ward. By splitting our societies into two, the PMC is creating unnecessary voter confusion and weakening fair representation.”
Beyond numbers, residents point out that geography makes the shift unreasonable. Societies moved to Ward 15 are located across the river, disconnected from Kharadi’s natural civic ecosystem. Patil added:
“It is illogical — there is a river in between. How can we approach corporators across the river for civic issues? Decisions are being taken without any ground-level logic.”
Another major concern is neglect by corporators from Manjari, which lies far from Kharadi. Manoj Dudhankar, Secretary of KHSWA, warned:
“The Manjari corporator will never prioritize us. They will focus on their own area, leaving Kharadi neglected.”
The association has urged PMC to reinstate all affected societies — including Nyati Empire, Riverdale, Nyati Elysia, Ganga Arcadia-2, Liviano, and Zen Estate — back into Ward 4. They argue that retaining Kharadi as a single ward will ensure civic accountability, continuity in urban planning, efficient delivery of services, and fair electoral representation.
In its objection letter, the association concluded that placing these societies under Ward 15 “creates an artificial divide with no historical or administrative justification” and risks diluting development priorities, misallocating funds, and neglecting Kharadi’s urgent infrastructure needs.
For over 20,000 citizens directly affected by this change, the demand remains clear: restore Kharadi’s societies to Ward 4, keep the city’s fastest-growing IT hub under one civic identity, and ensure governance that is both rational and citizen-focused.
