Navi Mumbai: The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has received around 6,000 suggestions and objections for the revised and comprehensive draft Development Plan (DP) published by it under the Maharashtra Regional & Town Planning Act, 1966. An expert committee will now conduct public hearings following which a report will be submitted to the state government for final approval.
The DP published on August 8, is expected to provide a major boost to the planned development of the Panvel region excluding CIDCO nodes which are already developed. It has come within eight years of the civic body’s formation in October 2016 and five years since a resolution was passed for its preparation in September 2019.
PMC assistant director of town planning (ADTP) Jyoti Kawade will constitute a committee of experts chaired by municipal commissioner Mangesh Chitale next week. The committee will comprise retired town planning experts and an environment department representative.
“Based on the issues raised in the objections, the committee will call individuals and groups for the hearing that will be video graphed. We will check for discrepancies, if any, in the plan, look into suggestions and prepare a report,” said Chitale.
Adding, “While the draft DP has been sent to the state government, ADTP will send the committee’s report with ADTP’s comments to the state government. The government will then, based on its consideration, take a final call and publish the DP.”
PMC has planned development for the next 20 years at a cost of ₹7,358 crore for a population of over 12.05 lakh people in 60.78 sqm area of its total 110.06 sqm jurisdiction. It has reserved 629 plots divided into five regional plans of the area, for the development of civic infrastructure including schools, gardens, hospitals etc as the planning authority. It is especially targeting 29 villages to ensure their development along with the other areas with several mega-projects like airports, metro, Virar Alibaug corridor, NAINA coming up around them.
Objections to the DP include reservations on agricultural lands, solid waste management project in the Ghot Chal area, no buffer zone between the Taloja industries and residential areas as a regional park zone is proposed to convert to a residential area and lack of gaothan expansion that will affect growing families.