Pune: Societies Struggle as PMC Delays Crores in Maintenance and Repair Payments
Pune, 10th October 2025: While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is quick to impose fines and take recovery actions, including property seizure, against citizens who fail to pay property tax, the corporation itself has delayed clearing maintenance and repair dues running into crores of rupees for its own flats. Despite repeated requests and correspondence from housing societies, PMC has not settled these payments, leaving many societies facing financial strain.
Under the R7 provision of the Development Plan, builders are required to provide a portion of constructed space to PMC as compensation when using or developing reserved land. Over the years, PMC has acquired ownership of numerous flats across areas including Hadapsar, Aundh, Karvenagar, Dhankawadi, Erandwane, Kothrud, Koregaon Park, Vadgaon Budruk, Katraj, Wanwadi, Parvati, and Bibwewadi. In addition, the corporation also owns shops and offices within these societies.
Currently, 1,890 flats have been allotted to citizens for residential use through agreements, while another 2,424 flats have been reserved for projects or transferred to PMC field offices, chawl departments, or MahaMetro.
After construction and occupancy, cooperative housing societies are formed under cooperative law. These societies collect maintenance and repair charges from residents for services such as lifts, gardens, security, cleanliness, and electricity. Members who fail to pay can be issued notices or face legal recovery through the District Deputy Registrar. Most residents pay their dues promptly, but PMC has reportedly failed to follow the same principle.
“Two meetings have been conducted to determine the maintenance and repair dues owed by PMC for the shops, flats, and offices under the R7 provision. All relevant data has been collected, and orders have been issued to submit a comprehensive report. A budgetary provision will be made to clear these dues,” said Prashant Thombre, Deputy Commissioner, Property Management Department, PMC.
No Budgetary Provision in Place
While the Property Management Department records ownership of flats handed over to PMC under the R7 provision, the municipal budget does not allocate funds for paying maintenance or repair charges to housing societies. When societies raise demands, PMC often rejects them. As a result, some societies have approached civil courts to recover dues with interest. Even after settlements, non-payment remains a recurring problem, causing ongoing financial pressure on housing societies.
