CM stays de-reservation proposal at Bibwewadi, asks administration to reconsider plan
The CM’s decision is likely to offer respite to hundreds of people staying at the locality as selective de-reservation of land had jeopardised their plots where construction is deemed illegal considering it is HTHS zone
Following objections from residents and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator of Parvati area Madhuri Misal, chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday instructed the administration to stay the earlier order of de-reserving selected land parcels at Bibwewadi and consider it afresh for the area identified as the Hill Top and Hill Slope (HTHS) zone.
The CM’s decision is likely to offer respite to hundreds of people staying at the locality as selective de-reservation of land had jeopardised their plots where construction is deemed illegal considering it is HTHS zone.
The urban development department (UDD) had last week published a notification to lift reservation of HTHS at Bibwewadi. However, it turned out that the change was made only for a seven-acre land.
Following the state government notification, residents staged protests alleging the decision was taken only to benefit select builders. Backing the protestors, Misal writes to Shinde on Monday saying the government needs to reconsider its decision.
Opposition parties, including Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Ashwini Kadam, who aspires to contest the upcoming assembly polls, put up banners in Bibwewadi area blaming the government for favouring builders.
After meeting the CM in Mumbai, Misal said, “I met Shinde along with his deputy Devendra Fadnavis and requested them to stay the proposal and provide same facility to both builders and residents. The chief minister immediately wrote his remarks on a letter and asked the UDD officials to submit a revised proposal.”
Misal’s letter to the CM, accessed by HT, has the remarks “stay the proposal and reconsider it afresh” made by Shinde.
Those who built homes at HTHS at Bibwewadi in the past few years have been demanding de-reservation that will allow construction and development on property.
Misal said that 11 plots at Bibwewadi was included in HTHS under the Pune’s Development Plan 1987. However, before the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) imposed the reservation, many citizens had constructed houses. Recently, the state government asked the advice of PMC for de-reserving the zone covering the same plots.
“Our demand was to apply de-reservation for those staying at homes build since many years,” she said, adding that the CM staying the proposal will benefit the residents.
BJP leader Ujwal Keskar said, “We had submitted our say against the proposal when the government invited suggestions and objections. We plan to challenge the proposal in the court.”
On Sunday, at the public protest, Vinayak Nazare, president, Traders Protection Trust Bibwewadi, said that addressing the area as a hilltop zone is a misnomer as the landscape has changed since 2018. “PMC as per its convenience had declared the area as residential and did not invite suggestions and objections. We came to know through the media that the state government has decided to remove the hilltop reservation on three plots, namely 623 (7), 652 and 672 and no notification has been issued in this regard,” he said.