Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) members demanded scrapping of the proposal, claiming that it is in the interest of the developer who has been given the project.
Congress corporator Avinash Bagwe, NCP’s Dilip Barate and Leader of Opposition at PMC, MNS leader Vasant More and NCP leaders Yogesh Sasane and Vishal Tambe raised objections against the proposal.
The issue also brought together all opposition parties along with Shiv Sena against the backdrop of the realignment of political forces at the state level.
Bhaiyya Jadhav, NCP leader, said, “Earlier, Mundhwa and some adjoining parts were under the Pune metropolitan region. The developer had taken permission from Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and submitted a letter saying that he will erect the bridge and bear the cost. However, when these areas came into the PMC limit in 2017, the developer withdrew his letter and forced the civic body to build the bridge.”
During the general body meeting, PMC officer Yuvraj Deshmukh accepted that the developer had given a letter to PMRDA to bear the cost, but denied to construct the bridge when a part of Mundhwa came under PMC limits.
Congress leader Arvind Shinde said, “When PMC prepared the development plan for merged villages, they did not propose the bridge in Kharadi. So, why does the administration feel the need to build a bridge now? PMC is giving the amenity space land for erecting the bridge as well as bearing the cost which will benefit the developer.”
“Despite criticism, not a single member from the BJP objected to the construction of the bridge at Kharadi which will be erected at a cost of Rs40 crore,” said Shinde.
Prasanta Patnaik