Pune: State Government Cancels PMRDA’s Draft Development Plan; Future of 23 Villages Now in Focus

Pune, 28th September 2025: The Maharashtra government on Thursday cancelled the draft development plan (DP) of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), which had been at the centre of controversy for years. The move has now raised a key question—will the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) be entrusted with preparing the development plan for the 23 villages merged into the city limits in 2021?

The cancellation comes after the state’s notification was issued based on the recommendation of Chief Minister and PMRDA Chairman Devendra Fadnavis.

₹40 Crore Spent, Now Wasted

PMRDA had paid nearly ₹40 crore to a Singapore-based company for preparing the draft plan. With its cancellation, the entire expenditure has effectively gone to waste.

The PMRDA was set up in 2015 for the planned development of seven municipal councils and 842 villages, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. It was later approved as the planning authority for the DP, which was released in 2021. The plan had received nearly 67,000 objections and suggestions from citizens and organizations.

Political Tug-of-War

When 23 villages were merged into PMC limits in 2021, the ruling BJP in the municipal corporation had argued that PMC—not PMRDA—should be responsible for drafting the DP. However, the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government rejected the demand.

Several organizations later challenged PMRDA’s authority in the Bombay High Court, which in March 2023 granted an interim stay on the DP. The court observed that under the 74th Constitutional Amendment, the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) has the authority to prepare development plans, not a Special Planning Authority like PMRDA.

Voices on the Cancellation

Reacting to the state’s decision, civic activist Ujjwal Keskar said, “PMRDA did not have the authority to prepare a development plan. We had been demanding the cancellation of this DP after the 23 villages were included in PMC limits, but the MVA government ignored it. The High Court case further highlighted our stand. Finally, this DP has been scrapped.”

PMC Shows Readiness to Step In

Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation has already expressed readiness to prepare a separate DP for the merged villages. About a month ago, PMC wrote to the state government seeking approval to act as the planning authority for the 23 villages. However, the government has yet to take a decision on the proposal.

With PMRDA’s draft DP now scrapped, all eyes are on whether the state government will authorize PMC to frame a new development plan for the merged villages, which are seen as critical to the city’s long-term growth.