PUNE: The civic body has planned special projects to promote affordable housing and meet requirements of the city’s floating population.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has also introduced housing projects on a rental basis. “Many people come to Pune from various parts of Maharashtra and the country. Many of them cannot afford to buy even the low-cost flats. They can use the rental housing. The first such project has been planned in Baner,” Prashant Waghmare, city engineer of PMC, said after the civic budget for 2024-25 was announced on Thursday.
A PMC official said the administration was also planning an affordable housing project and a slum rehabilitation project in Gultekdi, where PMC has 21 acres of land.
Another PMC official said the administration was reviewing the rate charged for approval of the Gunthewari projects. The administration has approved only 24 projects out of 908 proposals.
“One of the major hurdles in getting a good response to the scheme is heavy regularisation charges. State govt has given rights to the civic administration for changing the charges. PMC is working on it,” said Waghmare.
PMC in its budget for 2024-25 has kept a target of Rs2,492.83 crore from the building permissions. The target for 2023-24 was Rs1,804.83 crore. PMC has collected around Rs2,000 crore till Feb-end.
The PMC official said the administration was planning to focus on the town planning schemes in the merged villages. “This has multiple benefits. Creating infrastructure like drainage and sewage systems, roads, water supply lines, gardens, schools and public hospitals will be possible in these areas.”
PMC sata showed that around 608.95 hectares of land would be developed as part of these schemes. It includes two schemes in Phursungi of 260.67 hectares and 238.50 hectares and one in Uruli-Devachi of 109.78 hectares.
“PMC should use the spaces available in the merged areas for promoting such projects. Public transport like Metro is getting expanded in the civic areas. Houses on rent and a robust public transport will ensure better management of the floating population and not put pressure on the existing infrastructure of the city’s densely populated areas,” said Ramchandra Gohad, a senior urban planner.
Nitin Pawar, a social activist working for the financially weaker section of society, said, “More emphasis should be given on affordable housing, so that the urban poor can get their own houses. The nitty-gritty of the rental housing scheme should be made public.”
