Sahjeevan; Joining Hands for Conservation & Sustainability!

 

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“This is biodiversity: a delicate web of life that we are slowly and systematically dismantling.”…  Fons Burger

“Neither Superman nor Captain America is real. Real heroes who will save our planet are activists and biodiversity savers; and each of us has one such within us”… Hakan Kapucu

“A City is nothing but people living in it” …Me

While I was explaining Sahjeevan to one of my friends these lines I used & let me confess, the words may be mine but philosophy of Jane Jacobs (plz google about her) as he said now Pune has grown in bounds & leap & every suburb has its own demand & plus points. My friend is from IT (what else) & this is a separate species as a client, as a lifestyle & they know everything as well as have opinions about everything. The later part is an inherent condition which becomes characteristic for being a citizen of Pune but the earlier part i.e. about knowing everything, they forget, it’s what is available on Google’s memory only! And I don’t blame them as of-let Gen Z & Gen Alpha thinks information or data as knowledge, so be it! There is a difference between information & knowledge, which exactly is the subject of my sharing. The object is not to sell or promote Sanjeevani or Sahjeevan project yet the project is core of the sharing because conservation without a real-life case study is just research paper, disclaimer, lol! Ok, we launched or were to launch new project is a western suburb Sus which is part of PMC & I was thinking how we can build a project (read as homes) which will not be different but which will be a home for everybody & when I said I mean everybody, it means not humans from all classes but every species as that’s what we are missing. Ok, before that let me ask you something, how many of you have last seen languors’ (Makad) around your home or office, how many of you remember hanging to a banyan tree’s hanging roots (paranbya), how many of you have last chased a butterfly fluttering on roadside wildflowers like terda or Junglee zendu, how many of you last got your feet wet in a fresh water stream, how many of you have listened music of frog sound after rains, how many of you have lifted water out from an open well in recent, how many of you even have seen a fresh water open well around, how many of you can count me name of five birds you have seen around other than, kite, crow & gray pigeons, well you can get tiered with my how many but my how many list is longer than Hanaumanji’s tail on this front as I wont even dare to ask, how many of you has last seen a fire fly & tried to hold it whether its hot (h=gently without hurting it of course), how many of you last seen the red velvet beetle which comes in open after first rains & the list is on?

If you can answer even two or three questions on "yes' note then I will say you don’t have to read ahead but I know that won’t be the case. As speaking for myself, I have seen languors in Kothrud last, in my college days in 1990 in Kothrud but then the road from Chandani chowk to Kothrud was aligned with huge banyan, piple & neem trees & the languors could go back in evening to heir resting zones in NDA hills using those trees as their Metro but we chopped down all those trees & chopped the way of languors in city. I have not seen a banyan tree with hanging roots in the last nearly decade as most of them have given away space for roads or our cars. I have seen open wells often because I myself have built a few but barring those I haven’t seen an open well with fresh water in the last two decades in Pune. I have not seen a freshwater stream where I can immerse my feet in the last two decades, maybe three as most fresh water streams are either buried/ blocked or now carry drainage water & so go on list of my answers which mostly are negative. But there is a silver line because I myself am a builder & civil engineer & I do see butterflies as well many birds including Munia, Brown pigeons, Baya weaver & such around my own office where I have made plantation accordingly & you can check those on the Flickr link along! Though I miss red velvet beetles & fire flies as I can’t build a habitat where they can be part of my surroundings which is why I thought of bringing in specialists for planning Sahjeevan as here is space & place where I can do things about habitat!

Habitat, in simple terms can be considered as home for different species & the surrounding which takes care of respective species needs for their survival & comfort! Just the way we humans need amenities like malls, schools, hotels, hospitals, markets for our survival, even the butterflies & squirrels & sparrows too need something for their survival, which we call habitat. And habitat needs space, privacy also which sometimes is not possible in smaller land size projects & that’s why when I got an opportunity at Sahjeevan, I thought I must go for it, because if I (read as We) don’t think about all the above questions then who will, right?  This is where names like Shailaja Deshpande, Ankur Patwardhan, Anuj Khare, Ranjit Gadgil I thought of as each of them are authority & an expert on factors which build habitat. And, the way for any project we need an architect, structural designer, electric consultant, plumbing consultants which are experts on human’s comfort making services, if I want to build something for butterflies, fish & birds then I will need people who understands their needs better, right? And this is where high time the conservationists’ & society (I am referring to builders & their clients) must work together on a common platform which holds the future for our entire biodiversity or the conservation will remain for a select few & only in discussions of seminars while on ground their will be total darkness, which lies in the answers in form of No, to my all the questions about nature at start, is my object of sharing!

Many, (especially die hard conservationists) will frown as this may be just a publicity stunt to sale our flats; well, I can’t shut mouths (and fingers) of all (definitely not in the era ruled by social media where everybody has his or her opinion) but what’s there to lose in the first place, is what I will ask to all those questioners? We all speak about sustainability & if we want to achieve sustainability then every segment associated with earth must have comfort level, which for a business is in its financial healthiness, no wrong in it! But if while doing so I am trying to build habitat for other species, then what’s wrong in it, is the question I will put forward to those who really want to know the reason for getting associated with names like Shailaja, Anuj & Ankur sir! And what’s wrong if they call themselves as Brand Ambassadors along with being adviser/ consultant to Sahjeevan or any other project which is being developed keeping in mind greater good for the entire biodiversity, is the question I want to put forward here! And then these are learned passionate people who care for respective aspect of the environment & won’t get associated for money or fame with any project which is just using them as face & actually not doing anything concrete on ground about it, that must trust we definitely can put in them, right! Rather they will keep the project on the right track regarding its core object i.e. a home for every species & if any other project follows that path, there only lies a green future for this city, which at present seems dark! The problem with our country or society is, we want to save something at the cost of something, this is why we fail time & again on the conservation front. Look at Tiger conservation, only when Tiger started becoming an income source for the locals around the forests, its conservation became successful & biggest example is Tadoba where nearly 200 plus tigers live among 2 lakh humans, because both need each other’s. Same way if Pune has lost trees, fresh water, butterflies, sparrows & many other species because of human’s homes (read as builders) then by working with the builders only, we can get all of them back, is my object of sharing! And then the job is not restricted for Sahjeevan, at team Sanjeevani along with Jungle Belles team we make awareness programs for school kids which are our hope for nature conservation & we try to support other societies also for aspects like water conservation as this is not mine or yours fight anymore, its everybody’s war, i.e. to save the nature around us!

Here I will conclude with a story from Zen speaks, a philosophy which I myself try to live by!

In a Zen monk’s ashram, where he used to lecture his disciples, suddenly students started realizing their personal belongings are getting stolen, means there is a thief among the students. After some days they caught one of the students & asked the monk to shun him out from the class. But the monk refused & said the thief student will remain in the class, hearing this the remaining students got upset & said then they all will leave the class as they can’t share the lecture room with a thief. Still the monk said it's ok, you all can leave the class but I won’t ask the thief to go away from my class. Surprised by the monk’s reply, one student asked how can you accept this thief to be in your class & ok with we all going away? The monk smiled, and replied, don’t you see its this thief student, who needs my teachings the most!

The story ends here & I think going on the same logic, its high time all the nature’s conservationists which are monk for the society should learn from the Zen story’s monk as here, today’s so-called thieves on the front of nature are the builders & their home buyers, adios with this note! I am happy that in future when we will look back, then we will be proud of ourselves for Sahjeevan, as at-least we tried to build something of which our generations will thankful to us for conserving fresh water well, butterflies, banyan trees & a lot more, for them; adios with this note!

Please go thru two links for our efforts on the habitat front…

Every Drop Counts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQVCWXKkRPc&t=38s

Conservation, Joining Hands!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/coexistance_is_the_key/albums/72157627904681345/

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Sanjay Deshpande 

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

 

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2025/12/pune-real-estate-in-2026.html

https://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025.html

https://jeevnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2026/08/
Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/

Doctors, Traffic, Solar Electricty, Tigers & the Government!

 

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“People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” … Alan Moore

“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.” …  James Bovard

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.” …  Margaret Thatcher

“For me Govt is like God, I haven’t seen it yet I believe in it & it's everywhere & controls everything”… Me.

Moore & Bovard comes from USA which is (was) supposedly considered as land of opportunities & freedom of thought while The Iron Lady represents world’s most open & free democracy which at the same time has a King/ Queen as a Supreme ruler & I derived my views from the wise words they all shared & my experiences about life! Well, from the quotes you must have guessed the subject & I don’t know why I felt like penning down my thoughts about this subject but then that’s one good way of letting out frustration (read as warning people who still reads) & its safer (read as easier) than the path of protest which Dipke, Wangchuk in recent & many others in the past have chosen, so be it! Ok subject is our govt (Mai Baap) & though its most commonly discussed as fortunately in our country (till now at least) anybody can condemn (in private) the govt & its policies & that’s a boon as well sign of democracy, point is what govt thinks about such discussion & answer is, nothing! All these “Chay pe Charcha” (nothing to do with Hon PMs Chay) in the end just vaporize the way vapours of tea get merged in the surrounding & people start their routine for charchas on new topics or policy & that’s ok. Problem starts when more & more people (read as common man) over such Charchas’ starts naming/ doubting/ condemning the actions of the govt, that’s first sign of cracks in the wall, which is happening around is my subject of sharing. And then when the govt starts making wrong policies on one front then sooner or later this attitude is going to hit my profession/ business/ earning & even at home also & next direct victim of wrongness of govt’s act can be me or my company or family, is the main reason of my such sharing!

Here I will share a story from Panchatantra, where a pair of sparrows lived on a tree which was in the midst of a farm. The crop ploughing was due & before that the dry grass as well unwanted creepers needed to be removed from the farm & best way is controlled fire which needs more hands than just the owner couples! So, one morning the farmer couple was discussing burning the weed in the farm & listening to that, the she sparrow says to her husband, let's move from here as this owner couple will be bringing some help from villagers to burn the weed in the farm & the smoke will affect our chicks. The male sparrow hays don’t worry nothing will happen & next day nothing happens. Few days later the female sparrow again tells to her husband, lets’ move from here as today the farmer was telling to his wife that let’s call our relatives to help us to burn the weed so we can start ploughing, I think we must leave the nest tonight. Again, the male sparrow assures, nothing will happen let’s stay & nothing happens. Again, after a few days the female sparrow says, I heard today the farmer was telling to his wife, two of us should burn the weed tomorrow. Hearing this, the male sparrow tells his wife, let’s move toady & they flew away from the nest with their chicks. The female sparrow asks to her husband, when I told you the farmer was going to call his villagers or relatives, you said nothing will happen & but when I told you that they two only are going to burn the weed, you immediately agreed to move from the nest. The male sparrow smiled & said, this time they were not going to be dependent on others but going to do the job by themselves!

This story I have read in my school days & yet it has stuck deep within & always keeps me on my toes & this is the reason as the way now govt has started behaving, its time to make people aware as well brace myself as a person & as a professional, is my thinking, so the sharing! *Disclaimer at start, if by reading this story you think this is criticism against any party or govt then it's not, I am just sharing what’s going on & the way things are heading, right or wrong to decide it or conclude is readers’ choice & right, lol!

Cut1; To start with there was a news of Doctor’s in our State are going on or decided to go on strike as govt has come up with a policy where Homeopathy (a line of medicine which uses herbs or say natural ways of treatment) doctors to prescribe allopathy medicines (Crocin, Combiflam types) to their patients which earlier was allowed only for doctors with MBBS & such degree i.e. practicing allopathy. Though for doing this, they will have to do a one year course & they can’t treat certain diseases or patients, is the condition. And the reason for such a policy is given, as the lack of doctors in rural areas. Now, in the last month only the very same State govt has come up with another policy under which they have removed conditions for fresh MBBS doctors to serve for minimum one year for public hospitals or such establishments before starting their practice or further education. This bond condition was there for the last six decades & suddenly now the govt removed it saying they can’t risk the lives of people by getting treatment from fresh doctors, wow just wow! Means these doctors can practice on their own, that’s allowed but bond is removed & the very same govt can allow a totally different branch’s doctors to treat with something they are not trained, that’s not threat to public health, this way of working or say attitude of govt is my subject of sharing. I am no authority to comment on allopathy or homeopathy or medicine but what I am putting forward is the sheer illogical approach of govt towards a subject as sensitive as public health!

Cut 2; Every day our govt announces new highways, expressways, fly-overs, building Missing (or connecting, what matters) links & boast themselves as a Govt of development & no wrong in it. At the same time today, I read a news about Automobile sales (cars, commercial vehicles) crossing 26-lakhs vehicles in the month of July 26 alone, which is a record till today. Well, on one side this is great as road networks & flyovers are a must for connectivity & if the sale of vehicles is increasing that’s also a good sign for the production industry, but! But, on the other side our Hon Road Minister himself has shown concern over nearly 1.80 lakh people dying  in road accidents in the last year & a guess (as data isn’t available) is, nearly thrice of this number means, 5 lakhs people must have got injured in these accidents. And most of these accidents are due to private vehicles, domestic & commercial & at the same time in the major ten Metro cities of the country, traffic congestion is increasing everyday because of the inability of the road network to accommodate these vehicles! Don’t you see the controversy or say ill effect of the policies which you call development as just building roads & flyovers, the problem is not going to get resolved, what we (common people) need is strong & safe public transport & that front is very weak, may be deliberately! Right from PMPML (PMT) which is local Pune city public bus system to ST i.e. State Transport, the infrastructure for the public transport is very poor & govt doesn’t do anything about it, neither govt is forming any central public transport body nor its increasing numbers of railways or busses at local or central level, making people surrender to buy & use private vehicles, which not only chokes the roads but is main cause of accidents also! Again, policies which are creating doubts in the minds of the common man, that for whom this so-called development is intended, actually!

Cut 3; Recently I read (one more) news, which was about Solar farm companies suffering great losses because of policy change by the State govt. For those who are unaware of these terminologies, Solar Farming means building (and investing) solar electricity generation plants & we all know this solar electricity is way lot cheaper than conventional electricity which is generated by burning coal (plz google for more info)! So the govt decided to urge people to invest in solar electricity production which many people did but now the govt says this solar electricity govt (Electricity boards) will buy only for night consumption not online i.e. when its produced which is in day time! Well, if this is a joke then it’s a very cruel joke because solar electricity is produced only in day time this even a 5^th standard student can tell & to use this electricity at night means it is needed to be stored means huge batteries & who will spend for it & then why such foolish (sorry but that’s the only word come to my mind) condition as what govt wants in the first place, reduce use of conventional electricity or demoralise use of it, or else how can you say something in public & come up with exactly opposite policy of what you say, is my subject of sharing!

Cut 4; One more news (I am sorry but can’t help) though very local & went unnoticed by the most was about allowing some mine (of some mineral) in remote parts of State in Chandrapur district by the State govt backed up by Central govt. Nothing wrong in mining as we need minerals for our life but the problem is with the location, as this mine comes right in the track of an important wildlife corridor which could displace tigers & many animals. I am not an expert or researcher on this subject but I know this part of the State & I am a civil engg, so I can definitely say the mine is going to damage in some way the wildlife over here as a mine doesn’t mean just a hole in the earth. Along with mine comes tons of debris, dust, tree cutting & people & their machinery & their movement & homes & commercial establishment, & all this combinedly destroying tigers & wildlife & yet govt is hell-bent on going ahead with the mine plan! Again, on one side govt gives full page advertise on World Tiger Day, Hon CM & Central ministers attends seminars on this day & pat their own backs for calling Nagpur as Tiger Capital of World & on other side right under their nose they permit such destructive developments or doesn’t give a clear logical idea how these mines won't harm wildlife. Again, policy making, creating doubts in the minds of common man (few of them) for whose benefits these policies are being made, is my subject of sharing!

There are many more ‘Cuts” I can list, right from urban planning & scrapping of TP schemes in Pune to prolonged Pay & park policies allowing free parking on roads everywhere to basic things like clean & useable public toilets for women in city or villages, but neither a policy is being made nor it implemented rightly is there is right policy, such is the scene of govt making us think what govt wants actually! This is why I am worried as today its mines, public toilets & highways & solar electricity, tomorrow (there already is tomorrow) there will be homes & real estate which is my bread & butter, is my reason for thinking & sharing this piece! And, not all of these issues or demands of public needs some extraordinary technical competency, some common sense & a will to do right things, is required which govt doesn’t has; why, is what Desh Janana Chahta Hai (plz google), do it Mai-Bapp govt until there is too late, adios with this warning!

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Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

 

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2025/12/pune-real-estate-in-2026.html

https://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025.html

https://jeevnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2026/08/

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/

Fate of Pune Region Vs UDCPR, PMRDA & PMC!

 

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“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell” … Edward Abbey

“Any fool can make a rule
And any fool will mind it.” … Henry David Thoreau

“You can't plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.” … Gordon B. Hinckley

“Any sport is fun only if it has the right rules & is played by them” … Me

After a long time I am back to my most favourite (read as disliked) subject & that is Urban Planning & that too about our beloved Pune region. I know, many will say then why we also are wasting our time by reading ahead as you have already done that, well I forgive you for not understanding sarcasm!  I keep writing because I am of the old school which grew up reading Vikram & Vetal stories from Chanda mama (Plz google Gen Z), where Vikram was persistent to drag the Vetal even though the Vetal keeps eluding him by making him to break his promise of not to talk! Those stories have very deep impact on me as well I am sure on that entire genre (who read in the first place, more sarcasm) as it's not about just making us know about right & wrong via the riddles which vetal throws on Vikram but its about not giving up the task also, so be it! Ok, urban planning & that too of Pune region, so let's first get some introduction to this Pune region thingy which is In thing for our Hon CM & his deputies’! Long back (read as just three decades back) when there was no Pune region term existed & there were three very clear division of urban planning i.e. there was Pune which included old PMC limit means from Peth Area to Kothrud/ Aundh on west side, Hadapsar on east side, Bibwewadi on South side & Yeravda on East side, that’s all. On west side after Aundh, there was Bopodi which many thought not part of Pune but it was & after that PCMC started which most knew as Telco & Bajaj factory’s home town, nobody thinks PCMC is a city for living (I am not joking), Hinjewadi didn’t exists then, means as IT park, this was PCMC. And rest anything was part of Pune District which was governed by town planning. And yes, there were pockets in between named as Cantonment, which nobody knew means what & who controls & frankly nobody cares. If you think this is absurd & is a joke then, it is not a joke but a cruel reality & is a main reason of my frustration as this nobody cared was & is the main problem of today’s Pune region’s degradation! I know, many wont like the word I used as how can I write negative about my own profession (read as real estate), but please know that my sharing is not about real estate but about urban planning & if we don’t accept the facts & correct ourselves then definitely it is going to damage the real estate which happened to be my profession, so the sharing (and frustration too)!

So, now you know there have been nearly four or five governing authorities who were supposed to control urban planning & they all have separate set of rules for doing so, which popularly is called as DC (Development Control rules). These rules decide how much buildings can be built on the lands & height, tenement density (numbers of units), margins & many such, in short its like Bible, Gita & Kuran (I have used all three religious books names to make readers know it’s not about abusing or praising some religion but to state importance of DC rules for city, disclaimer). And the local body keeps control on any new project (which comes for sanction, sarcasm) via these DC rules. Now, PMC, PCMC, Cantonment (I presume) & Town Planning all were having separate such rules & nobody complained because physical as well even social boundaries of these bodies were very clear. But in the last two decades the entire Pune & PCMC & areas beyond them started developing faster than the imagination of our urban planners & result was the age-old physical & social boundaries between all these local bodies started dissolving. Though for governing revenue they remained different yet now you can differentiate by address or even distance where you are residing & the concept named Pune region or Greater Pune (I derived it as it sounds nice, lol) evolved. Now just by calling Pune region if you think things would have been fine then it's as childish a thought that if we merge Palestine & Israel   all will be well, unless there have been the same rules for every local body, right? So, the Mai Baap govt came up with a unique idea of UDCPR (plz google), in nutshell same building rules for entire Maharashtra, except Mumbai (obviously, sarcasm) & where planning authority is there. Here is the real game (read as foolishness) as for controlling growth (read as swelling, sarcasm) beyond limits of PMC & PCMC & Cantonment (one more joke) govt has formed PMRDA, a planning authority with separate identity. Now real joke started, this planning authority neither has own DC rules nor has got DP, oh yes before you go ahead there is a catch with DC rules. There has to be (at least I think so) a Development Plan i.e. DP in place to apply the DC rules. In short, you want to play Tennis, you have racket, ball, players & you know rules of tennis but where will you play the game, right? That’s where, answer lies in DP as it’s the plan of the land which decides where I can build what or say it’s a plan of the entire city which decides the land use where the DC rules can be applied, hussshhh!

Now, the problem with this PMRDA named child (read as orphan) was it neither has DC rules nor DP in place & yet the planning authority was in place for nearly a decade, this itself must be Urban Joke of the Century but wait, more jokes are still to come! Somehow the planning authority continued with the hope of making DP of its own which is a big job especially for a govt body which wants to make everybody associated happy (read as financially) & in such case planning land use of area of nearly 7000 plus sq kms was a huge task & it took years. Finally, the DP was drafted by PMRDA & as DP was not in place there were no separate DC rules but whatsoever the Town planning dept was using before formation of PMRDA, the same rules were being used for sanctioning the projects, just the name of the authority has changed! Now, as this PMRDA’s DP took nearly four years & suggestions objections also were conducted, & everybody thought things will be smooth finally, one more twist came. Out of the PMRDA land major development was obviously in the fringe area of PMC limit & nearly 33 villages on the fringes of PMC were merged in PMC of which DP has been already prepared by PMRDA. Now if these villages which already are suburbs of PMC & hereafter the sanctioning authority will be PMC, how can they accept (and why would they) DP made by PMRDA is the question which authorities started asking. And on top of it few wise citizens (in Pune there are many, sarcasm) challenged the legal proceedings itself of the PMRDA’s DP in high court & Maai Baap govt for their own reason squashed the DP for the reasons known to them only! I am not an expert but PMRDA’s constitutional chief is Chief Minister of State & PMRDA’s governing State dept is Urban Development which is headed by Dy CM of the State & these two represents different political parties, if I am needed to explain further, then you can stop reading right here as you are too blessed (read as lucky to be ignorant) on this front!

Come today i.e. Aug 2026, situation is, there is no DP in place in PMRDA, so you don’t know where to build what. Nearly 100 plus sq km area of PMRDA where maximum development is happening has been attached to PMC where UDCPR (DC rules for entire State) are already applicable but here also there is no DP in place & bigger joke is plans are being sanctioned from the worst of two plans i.e. existing town planning plan & cancelled PMRDA’s DP, have you ever come across bigger urban planning joke ever, well more are coming, keep patience!  If you are confused what it's to do with you then look at this scenario, if unfortunately, you are a developer asking for sanction of a project in these merged villages, then PMC will sanction your plan with all permissible potential & DC rules but! But, your plans will be assessed depending on what’s its land use in town planning DP, one which has been made nearly thirty years back & one which doesn’t exist! Take a small example, there is a ring road which was proposed by PMRDA (there is one already in building, this is its step brother, sarcasm) which was shown earlier with a width of 110 m. Later on, PMRDA’s DP was reduced to a width of 65 m. Now this ring road goes through PMC limits also & out of the 33 villages the 11 one which PMC has made DP for, there the width of this road has shown & sanctioned as 65 m. Till here it's fair enough, but today if your land is in the rest of 22 villages which were earlier in PMRDA & now are in PMC and if your land is abutting this ring road then you will have to accept the road width as 110 m, why? Because though PMC is sanctioning your plan still as they don’t have DP, they have to consider PMRDA DP & if you say PMRDA DP shows road widths as 65 m then that DP is cancelled & before that the ring road width by notification was 110 m, so we may not be building the ring road of 110 m wide yet as today no DP says so, legally you will have to leave the ring road as 110 m width only. And the very same PMC sanctions plans in other suburbs, the very same ring road going by width of 65 m, now this is the real biggest urban planning joke I have come across in my thirty years of urban planning!

And the joke series goes on as leave road widths, nobody is clear about any infra growth in PMRDA region leave apart the blessed 33 villages which at least have PMC in control. And on top of it now the govt announced UDCPR as DC rules for entire PMRDA means now you have rules for how much sq ft & in which way you can build your project without having clarity of where you should build it & who will be making roads for it, how the residents will get water, where will be electricity sub stations & so many how & where but, you can build for sure! And both authorities PMC as well PMRDA has conveniently freed their hands from taking any responsibility than sanctioning the plans & collecting development charges because you have to give undertaking for water, drainage, road & anything related to infra provision for these projects to PMRDA/ PMC if you want to get a sanction, thanks god at least Oxygen supply they are not taking undertaking for (sarcasm) from the builders! I am not against UDCPR or any rules, I am just pointing out the problems which we will bring in & govt not taking responsibility of any such problems, leaving the occupants of all these so-called growth or developments (whatever) named structures on their own!  How can we apply some det of rules when we don’t have a development plan on ground, have we all forgotten basic urban planning? And that too with no execution authority in place, do mind PMRDA is planning authority not a governing body like PMC or PCMC which has at least some set up to execute the DP & they too lack on making DP! Here, we are giving responsibility to PMRDA of some thousands of sq kms area to manage & with no DP, no infrastructure making authority or power & no set up, what are we making of Pune region, is my question to all concerned!

I know the outcome, as with UDCPR is place & no DP to define land use, there will be flood of illegal constructions which by the time when DP will be on paper (some day) will be declared legal under the provision as the FSI allowed as per UDCPR, which they will be building today only. Look back at past at look what happened to Dhankawdi (plz goggle) & all the then illegal buildings which all are still there even after getting merged in PMC, here it will be PMRDA but the fate of the Pune region is at stake this time! Instead, what govt should focus is, make Fast Track (sorry, it’s a joke actually, yet) DP making task force & implementing & for that the most important thing is setting up a Secretary ranked officer for Pune region in UD dept at Mantralay. And give them targets as well team & authority to execute their planning & if right power is given what can be done, we are witnessing at Food & Public Health dept. right now (Courtesy Mr Tukaram Mundhe)! Because, the UDCPR is applicable to the entire Maharashtra but still the major growth is in Pune region & the area along with infrastructure needed here is hundred times more than the entire remaining State which must have a separate desk or else the priority is lost. Look at the mess we are creating with so called TP schemes. First we declare them & then one fine morning we say they are time consuming & we will squash them & buy land needed for infrastructure & then we don’t do also that infrastructure neither we make TP schemes & still we think the growth of Pune region will be planned, well whom we are fooling! And for that first keep our rulers must keep their political differences aside & focus on proper development (one more joke) as at present three different parties which are in ruling have a say in Pune regions; Hon CM, who is constitutional head of PMRDA & then he is CM also. One DCM is head of Urban Development dept & another DCM is our district’s guardian minister & despite that citizens of Pune have to beg for water tankers, take help of social media for their road pot-holes issue, spend hours in crazy traffic jams, has to travel for miles to send their kids to some good school & forced to buy flats in illegal buildings which nobody asks how they came in existence; Daya, jarur kuch gadbad hai!! Guys, Pune region is blessed by culture, nature, heritage & has perfect potential for growth, it's up to MaiBapp govt whether we convert this potential into a healthy body or allow it to become a cancer patient by uncontrolled growth, adios with this warning!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

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