PMRDA, PMC, Infrastructure, Citizens & Government!

“There could be no development without desire” … Lailah Gifty Akita

“Roads remain the essential network of the non-virtual world. They are the infrastructure upon which almost all other infrastructure depends. They are the paths of human endeavor” … Ted Conover

When its matter of infrastructure then nobody can beat USA & the reason lies not in the wealth that country has generated but in the first quote by Akita, a desire to develop & then it’s backed up by their understanding about the development as roads are the first & foremost step towards any development, is what USA Society (I am deliberately saying society & not just govt) has understood & outcome is what we see there today! In our country whenever infrastructure aspect comes in the discussion, its conveniently thrown on the govt (usually blame for the failure as success nobody praises) but we forget that it’s the society which is everlasting & govts’ keep on changing & it’s the society which choose the govts’ & never vice versa! All we think is we have voted (that too 50% never bothers to vote also) & now it’s the job of the elected people whom we call as govt & they should provide us the infrastructure & in doing that we forget our responsibility towards this aspect of our life! First, do mind any govt has its own agenda & first on the agenda is to remain in power for next term & that needs money (personal not public) & we all know the avenues of this money comes from & here is where govts’ interest in the infrastructure come in the picture as most of our govts’ (sorry with due respect to Nitin Gadkari sir) are short sighted when it comes to regaining power & this is why society’s definition of infrastructure (read as need) & govt’s definition of infrastructure (again read as need) never matches!

I know, you are confused as to where this sharing is going, then without stretching your patience, there was news about sharing premiums generated (or say will be generated) from proposed construction projects in the merged villages which were part of PMRDA & now are in PMC. It’s said that the issue of sharing factor is finally resolved thus the development of infrastructure in PMRDA will now take off with speed, super!  Now, some Punekar will ask sarcastically that even when PMRDA was alone collecting these premiums, what development it has made & who has stopped them to do so as well in PMC limits also where PMC is sole collector of the premiums, does it means, all is well; then what’s so big fuss over such news! I respect sarcasm as well intelligence of Punekars unfortunately which is in existence only for comments but never in action as a society for their demands because we as a society are happy in just individually commenting that too in close doors or in person while govt doesn’t gives a damn about such comments is a fact! Well, actually there were two news which made head-lines, one as mentioned above, was about PMRDA & PMC (now its worst then Bharat-Pak cricket match rivalry) sharing premiums, so a hope of clearing the path for infrastructure development in merged villages (will explain it) & another was about March (morcha) of farmers has been successfully taken back as govt accepted farmer’s demands. On the face these two news may seem to have no connection but that’s what my point of sharing is! Of-late there has been cries over infrastructure mainly on two fronts, roads & water supply (sad, we have yet to come out of these basic needs of life) in & around Pune, that too in the merged villages in PMC the problem is grave. Well, to explain the background (to new readers, there are still some) nearly some 34 villages have been merged in PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) which were part of PMRDA (Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority). Though this is again a wise (rare thing) move considering the urban development but again as usual there are layers to such decisions when its Pune at centre & adhering to that, two villages on east side of Pune are already demerged. Then there is the issue of who will make the development plan of these villages while PMRDA has already made a DP of the entire jurisdiction of which these villages are part. This itself is a joke, as to merge these 34 villages was not planned overnight, so why in the first place PMRDA has been asked to make DP of these villages & if PMRDA was to make the DP then why it was not done jointly in hands with PMC as later anyways these villages were to be merged in PMC! Whom I am fooling anyways, by asking these questions, a thought comes to my mind when I pen my such words but then we must at least ask or else what we are as a citizen is also a fact, right?

Now, if you have understood the first news reference then let us come to the second news, which was about farmer’s March to Mantralay where Mai-Bapp govt sits in Mumbai for their demands. Such was the pressure built as framers from all over the State has joined that before this march entered in Mumbai, that the govt took cognizance & declared that farmer’s demands about fair rate (that’s again a joke) for their crops & many others (loan waiver or subsidy or electric bill etc), has been accepted by the govt thus the march went back! This exactly is what now the people (read as builders, citizens of Pune) has to do as or else the govt won’t ever going to listen to the demands regarding city’s infrastructure & the delay as well confusion (read as deliberate) towards urban planning or entire Pune as well at other such centres in the State. Why there is so much delay on making development plan of PMRDA, why there is never water supply (or no water supply) in many areas of the city while citizens pay their property tax on time, why this merging or demerging type decisions are delayed so much making confusion in home buyers as who will be their controller on civic issues, why even after deciding the villages will be merged yet there is no system in place for basic thing like property tax assessment of the properties in merged villages, why UDCPR (Same development control rules for entire State) is not applicable to PMRDA & why its applicable to Pune & if so then why now the project’s plans which are in the merged village’s are not being sanctioned under UDPCR, who is holding all such decisions which are directly related to the infrastructure growth of Pune & why, high time we raise our voice collectively guys, don’t you feel so?

And I agree such policy decisions cannot be taken overnight but that doesn’t mean it should take years after years & we don’t have any Sunny Deol shouting for us with his fists pumped as “Tarkih pe Tarikh, my lord” here, so we only have to do that job. If you are thinking that’s not your job & there is a system to do all these things then either you are a fool or you are coward (unfortunately, most of us are both) because the problems which you & me face, the so called govt hardly gets any brunt of it & govt is least bothered about things like their own revenue etc, they have other important things to look after such as to please their voters & cut the power supply of their opponents, & we don’t fall in any of these categories unless we start a march of our own! If you don’t agree with this statement also about govt’s attitude towards the development which we call as infrastructure then ask yourself these questions, the way you have to face traffic jams every day everywhere does any minister has to face, the way you have to call ward office of PMC for less or no water supply often, does any MLA has to call, the way you have to wait travel on bumpy roads or no roads (in merged villages) without street lights, does any Minister has to travel like that, the way as a law abiding builder you have to keep hold your plans as you don’t know which rules will be applicable for the sanction & suffer losses for your investment on the land you have purchased, does any elected member of the govt system has to suffer such losses & the list of such question is unending as you also can create some questions of your won from your day to day fight for survival! Tell me now, have you got answers for these questions related to poor infrastructure while you pay all your taxes on time or do you think the govt will willingly answer these questions in time? And do mind, the govt is supposed to answer the questions about basic needs of infrastructure not just by issuing some notification but by time bound action plan for construction or this infrastructure, it's your right as a citizen which is not happening, is my point of sharing!

Guys, I know all of us are busy in our own survival issues & we (read as Pune-PCMC) are much better placed in comparisons to many other cities & towns in the State but that does not mean all is well, as we are paying the price also for the perks which we are getting! We are one of the most air polluted city & most garbage making city & our rivers (and other natural water bodies) are worst polluted, we also have slowest traffic speed & there are many others bad aspects of urbanization which can be only controlled or undo with fast action on the infrastructure making front. And all this needs a leader in place which will care for the city & will ensure that decisions as well policies related to city are acted upon & fast, or else do mind, one day there will be infrastructure & policies but no citizens, its writing on the wall for which we only have provided the pen to the writers!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at You Tube link below..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

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

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2023/01/defining-good-home-real-estate-in-2023.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

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

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www.punecorporation.org

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