Pune: Punawale Residents Oppose PCMC’s Convention Centre Plan, Demand Oxygen Park on Forest Land
Punawale, 2nd May 2025: In a firm stance against urban concretization, Punawale residents submitted an official objection to the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) today, protesting the proposed construction of a convention center or any other concrete structure on a 57-acre forest land in Punawale. Locals reiterated their long-standing demand for the development of an Oxygen Park instead, an initiative that has been pending for years despite rising environmental concerns.
Residents highlighted that the forest land is the last green buffer in the rapidly urbanizing locality, now home to nearly 1 lakh people. With worsening pollution levels, increasing population density, and shrinking public green spaces, citizens warned that any construction on the land would pose serious threats to public health and environmental sustainability.
The PCMC acknowledged receipt of the objection and assured the delegation that the concerns were valid and serious. A copy of the objection was also submitted to BJP’s Chinchwad MLA Shankar Jagtap, urging him to intervene and protect the forest area from further development.
Backed by hundreds of local signatures, the collective demand aims to pressure authorities into delivering on their promise of the Oxygen Park. Residents remain hopeful that responsible action will be taken to preserve what they call Punawale’s “last lung space.”
PCMC’s Plans Continues to Face Opposition in Punawale
Punawale residents vehemently opposed the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) proposed garbage depot by organizing a bike rally and a Chipko movement, highlighting environmental concerns and the area’s rapid urbanization. Their sustained protests led the state government to cancel the plan and direct PCMC to seek an alternative site. PCMC then decided to build a convention center on the same land. However, that plan is now also facing opposition, with residents insisting that an Oxygen Park be developed instead on what they call a gift of nature.
