PCMC to post draft DP in Marathi for wider reach deadline to send views long over
The original draft, published in English this May, was open for public suggestions and objections until July 14.
The demand for a Marathi version came from Maval's Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne who wrote to the state govt last month stating that many residents were unable to submit their objections to the proposed reservations mentioned in the draft due to lack of understanding of English.
In response to his letter on July 6, the state govt, on July 30, instructed PCMC to act on the request, citing instructions from the office of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.
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PCMC's commissioner Shekhar Singh told TOI, "As soon as the demand was brought to our notice last month, we reached out to the Directorate of Marathi Language to initiate the translation of the draft Development Plan." He clarified that the statutory timeline will remain unaffected and the draft will not be reopened for additional suggestions or objections.
Barne, in his letter to Shinde, said, "As per section 4(2) of Maharashtra Official Languages Act 2021, all municipal corporations and councils in the state should do their administrative works in Marathi.
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Similarly, as per section 3(1) of the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act 2022, it is mandatory for local bodies to use Marathi for all administrative purposes." The Shiv Sena MP added that govt should intervene to publish the draft in Marathi.
The municipal corporation received over 49,500 suggestions and objections from citizens. The civic body has already initiated the process of segregating them to prepare for final hearings which will be conducted by the state govt-appointed committee.
As per the standard procedure, the committee will prepare a final version of the draft after hearings, which will be sent to the state govt for final approval.
Dhanaji Yelkar, convenor of Swabhimani Ghar Bachao Movement, formed to oppose the proposed HCMTR project in the draft, said there is no point in translating the draft when people cannot object to it.
Sanjeevan Sangle, chairman of Chikhali Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Society Federation, said the municipal corporation should allow citizens to file their objections after the translated draft is published.
A senior civic official said that DP drafts are prepared in English due to the content's technical nature, and no previous attempts were made to publish them in Marathi. Several municipal corporations in the state recently published their drafts, and all of them were in English, he said. The officer further clarified that there are no legal mandates to prepare these drafts in Marathi.
MLAs and MLCs from Pimpri Chinchwad voiced strong objections to the reservations listed in the draft Development Plan (DP), demanding its cancellation.
They also raised the issue during the recently concluded assembly session, alleging that the committee responsible for drafting the plan imposed reservations on many residential structures.
BJP MLA from Chinchwad Shankar Jagtap said, "The whole draft was prepared using wrong methods as reservations were also proposed on properties where building permissions were granted by the municipal corporation."
Another BJP MLA Mahesh Landge said at least 850 reservations from the old DP were again mentioned in the draft.
"The civic body has put reservations on many religious temples, which must be cancelled, and the hearings of all the objections must happen in an unbiased manner," he said.
Several religious groups also expressed concerns over the proposed reservation for a slaughterhouse in Moshi, located about 4 km from Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj temple in Alandi. In response to the public outcry, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, during a public event last month, announced that this reservation would be withdrawn.
Minister of state for urban development, Madhuri Misal assured the legislators that the draft could be cancelled by the CM if it was found beyond rectification. However, she said that it would be wrong to cancel it before conducting hearings on the objections. "Govt will ensure that there is no injustice to anyone when the final draft is approved," she added.
Head: Area covers 173.24 sqkm
Draft DP for PCMC was published online for citizens on May 16
Citizens had time until July 14 to file their suggestions and objections
Over 49,500 suggestions and objections were received from citizens on the draft
The draft DP covers a 173.24 sqkm area and was prepared keeping in mind the projected population (Pimpri Chinchwad) of 42 lakh in 2031 and 61 lakh by 2041
What Next?
PCMC will segregate the suggestions and objections to avoid duplication
Similar demands will be clubbed, and the final list will be kept for hearings
A state govt-appointed committee will conduct public hearings on these matters
The final draft will be sent to the chief minister for approval
Instead of raising the language issue, the MP should have demanded cancellation of the draft. He realised it very late, and it is just an attempt to show that he is doing something for people. If he wanted to, he would have approached his party chief Eknath Shinde, who leads the urban development ministry, and got the draft cancelled
Dhanaji Yelkar I Convenor, Swabhimani Ghar Bachao Movement
Many people who were unable to understand Marathi failed to file their objections, and they should be given the opportunity as civic bodies are run for them. Abrupt decisions are taken by civic administration in the absence of an elected govt
Sanjeevan Sangle I Chairman of Chikhali, Moshi, Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Society Federation
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