Pune: Maharashtra Government Implements Standardized UDCPR Across Entire PMRDA and MSRDC Ring Road Jurisdictions, Clearing Development Roadblocks
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 15th July 2026: In a landmark decision aimed at streamlining urban planning and accelerating real estate growth in Pune’s fast-expanding metropolitan fringes, the Urban Development Department of the Government of Maharashtra has officially issued directives to implement the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) across the entire jurisdiction of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The directive also extends to areas under the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) acting as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for the Pune Ring Road project.
Issued today, July 15, 2026, under the statutory powers of Section 154(1) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, the directive brings an end to a prolonged period of planning uncertainty for developers, landowners, and municipal planners. The order, signed by Deputy Secretary Pranav Karpe, mandates that the uniform building regulations of the state—originally approved on December 2, 2020—apply immediately to these critical development zones, superseding the outdated PMRDA Development Control and Promotion Regulations of 2018 (DCPR 2018).
The Catalyst: Scrapping of PMRDA’s Draft Development Plan
According to the official notification, the implementation of UDCPR in PMRDA was originally scheduled to take effect only after the final sanction of the PMRDA Development Plan (DP) under Section 31 of the MRTP Act. PMRDA had published its draft DP on August 2, 2021. However, after facing intense public debate, administrative hurdles, and tens of thousands of objections, the state government formally canceled and withdrew the entire draft DP preparation process (including all proceedings under Sections 23, 26, and 28) via a gazette notification on September 27, 2025.
This cancellation left the region’s urban planning and building permissions in limbo, forcing PMRDA to rely on the obsolete DCPR 2018 rules. The lack of standard regulations choked new projects and severely impacted the local construction industry.
Consensus and Resolution for Standardized Growth
To resolve this crisis, PMRDA convened its 12th general meeting on February 12, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. During the meeting, the authority passed a resolution to request the State Government to apply the state’s uniform UDCPR rules to the PMRDA region to clear pending development files. PMRDA formally petitioned the government in writing on April 8, 2025.
The government’s directive notes that other local planning bodies in the surrounding region are already utilizing the UDCPR. Standardizing the rules for PMRDA will establish parity, remove regulatory discrepancies, and facilitate cohesive, integrated, and well-planned growth.
Unified Rules for the MSRDC Ring Road Buffer Zone
Crucially, the directive also applies the UDCPR to the specialized jurisdiction assigned to the MSRDC. By a previous notification dated October 10, 2024, the state government had appointed MSRDC as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for a 2-kilometer wide buffer zone along the proposed Pune Ring Road, encompassing 117 revenue villages over an area of 668.00 square kilometers.
Until today, building permissions in this vital infrastructure corridor were still governed by PMRDA’s old DCPR 2018 rules. Standardizing the regulations under UDCPR is expected to fast-track real estate projects and infrastructure development adjacent to the ring road, aligning them seamlessly with neighboring municipal areas.
Impact and Benefits
Real estate experts and urban planners have welcomed the state’s move. Standardizing the building codes under UDCPR will introduce uniformity in road widths, room sizes, and building margins, while relaxing open-space and amenity requirements. This uniform framework is expected to dramatically lower bureaucratic hurdles, boost the supply of affordable housing, and attract major residential and commercial investments to Pune’s periphery.
The official directive is now available for public inspection on the Government of Maharashtra’s official legal portal.
