The Indian Express 03.09.2012
‘Water body to be turned into residential zone, not natural lake’
The water body is located at a prime location in Wakad, which was earlier with the PCNTDA
After the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) general
body meeting on Saturday approved the proposal to convert a lake at
Wakad into a residential zone, Municipal Commissioner Dr Shrikar
Pardeshi said his administration would await the state government and
the Bombay high court directives on the issue.
Amidst heated debate, the PCMC GB meeting approved the proposal
to convert what the Oppostion described as a “natural lake” into a
residential zone.
While the ruling NCP voted in favour of converting the lake into a
residential zone, the Congress, the Shiv Sena, and the MNS voted
against the proposal. 59 corporators voted in favour of the proposal,
while 20 voted against it.The civic chief said the contention of the Opposition about the
lake being a natural one was answered by former municipal commissioner
Dilip Band.
“During the GB meeting, Shiv Sena corporator Shrirang Barne read
out a report submitted by Dilip Band who had after the surveying the
site said the lake was not a natural one,” Dr Pardeshi said.“The GB resolution will now be sent to the state government which
will take the final call. We are also awaiting a court order,” he said.
The water body at survey number 211 is located at a prime
location in Wakad, which was earlier with the Pimpri-Chinchwad New Town
Development Authority (PCNTDA). It was later brought under the
development control rules of the PCMC.
The site is shown as a water body in the development plan. A public
interest litigation (PIL) on the issue was filed before the Bombay high
court by Moti Mudaliar, a resident of Pimple Nilakh.
During the GB meeting, Shrirang Barne criticised the civic
administration for favouring the proposal to convert the lake into a
residential zone.“The lake is a natural source of water. Destroying it will harm
the atmoshphere in the area,” The Congress too slammed the NCP and the
administration.
Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition Kailas Kadam said, “If PCMC
does not stop this illegal action, the Congress will have no option but
to move the court against the PCMC administration.”
