Urban News

IT took a heavy rainfall for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to speed up the nullah channelisation work, for which it had received Rs 35 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The civic body has now proposed to pay the district administration Rs 1 crore as fee for demarcation of nullah land.

“A proposal to fund Rs 1 crore for demarcation of the nullah land has been prepared and will be tabled in the standing committee. The nullah channelisation work can be properly done only after the demarcation is done,” additional city engineer Vivek Kharwadkar said.

The collectorate has communicated that it will carry out the demarcation of nullah land on priority basis as soon as the civic body deposits the fee

The PMC is implementing the project in four of the 23 basins, into which the city has been divided. The project also includes constructing stormwater drains and drainage crossing in these four basins. The PMC was supposed to start the work in 2009 and complete it by 2011, but it could manage to kickstart the project only in March 2010.

Kharwadkar said the civic body would urge the collectorate to combine findings of the recent nullah study, development plan and revenue records for land demarcation.

Deputy city engineer Shivaji Sankpal said the collectorate had been asked to carry out demarcation of land for 21.7 km of nullah in Baner, 16.10 km in Vadgaonsheri, 13.66 km in Kondhwa and 7.08 km in Vadgaon Budhruk. 

“It will demarcate the nullahs passing through both private and government lands. The civic administration will make it mandatory for private property owners to maintain the natural stream as per the demarcation and only allow development that will not disturb or divert the stream.”

The civic body had, after the recent heavy rainfall, said the nullah and stormwater drain system in the city were incapable of handling such a downpour and sought a mega project to tackle such a situation. It had estimated an investment of Rs 2,000 crore to construct a proper network of stormwater drain and nullahs.

The VMC has reportedly short-listed three names as per the Companies Act — Vadodara Riverfront Corporation Limited, Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Corporation Limited and Vishwamitri Rejuvenation and Resectioning Corporation Limited. The same has been communicated to the Chief Secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department.

Mayor Balkrishna Shukla told The Indian Express: “We wanted to take up the entire project professionally and that is why it was necessary to convert it into a company. The government is already working on the Sabarmati riverfront project so we have also attached the information of the same along with what we are planning to do. As per the initial estimates, we have submitted a proposal of Rs 450 crore.”

On the need to form a company, he said: “Since the project cost was high and several departments were involved in the project, it was necessary to form a company for its faster implementation.”

The proposal says VMC chairman would head the company with nine directors — mayor, opposition leader, urban development chief secretary, district collector, a town planner, two technocrats and a businessman.