Urban News

Activist Jayant Kariya said in a recent meet the forum passed a resolution demanding a park at Nashik Phata. “There is no garden for the suburb of Kasarwadi. This despite the fact that the development plan of Pimpri-Chinchwad says the suburb should have at least one garden. Instead of a garden the PCMC allowed the land to be used for construction purpose,” Kariya said. “Not only garden even the other basic amenities as stated in the development plan like playground, water tank, library are missing. Over the years the PCMC officials blatantly violated the norms by giving open land for construction purpose and ignoring the basic amenities,” said Kariya.

Another forum member Anita Landge said the jogging park at Nashik Phata will be an ideal setting. “The entire Pune-Nashik highway right from Nashik Phata to Bhosari and beyond is lined with tall trees. If the wild grass and shrub below are removed and track is laid it will be a perfect ground for health conscious citizens. It will benefit not only residents from Kasarwadi but also Nashik Phata, Shankarwadi, CIRT and Landewadi areas. Even industrialists from Bhosari MIDC will benefit,” she said.

Chetan Kachi, a resident of Nashik Phata, said if the PCMC does not act quickly the area in Nashik Phata will be taken over by slumdwellers. “All the slums from Nashik Phata are slowly spreading towards Bhosari. People who sell bat and other wooden equipment encroached on the land last year by setting up their hutments. These hutments are now slowly spreading,” he said.

Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma had promised to remove the hutments, however, little action has been taken, activists said. Kariya said the forum will wait for a fortnight for PCMC’s response. “If there is no action we will launch an agitation for the jogging park,” he said.