Who's right, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation or Sitaram Kunte?

Here is a classic case of the mode of functioning of the government where the right hand does not know what the left is doing.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) PRO, on Monday, issued a press release saying the committee on unauthorised constructions would meet on November 11 as per the instructions of Mumbai municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte at PCMC. However, Kunte, who is heading this committee, has made it clear that the date of the meeting hasn't yet been finalised.

The 16-member panel under Kunte was constituted by the government of Maharashtra to look into the issue of unauthorised constructions in urban spaces. Earlier, Swadheen Kshatriya Committee had submitted its report that dealt mainly with unauthorised constructions in rural areas.

All big cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur are facing problems due to mushrooming of unauthorised constructions.

It was former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan who appointed the Swadheen Kshatriya Committee after legislators from Pimpri-Chinchwad held a demonstration during the Monsoon session of assembly in 2012 and the Mumbra building collapse in 2013. After Swadheen Kshatriya panel submitted its report, the government appointed the committee headed by Sitaram Kunte to look into unauthorised constructions in urban areas. It was also asked to formulate a policy on unauthorised constructions in the state.

PCMC has also invited suggestions from people on unauthorised constructions so that it could formulate a uniform policy on regularization and prevention of such constructions in the future.

Interestingly, when contacted over phone, Kunte said: "Two, three meetings have been held on this issue and the next meeting is also being planned; however the date is yet to be finalised."

CM yet to review issue
Devendra Fadnavis after assuming charge as the chief minister, allocated portfolios only on Sunday. And the CM, who holds the urban development portfolio, is also yet to review the issue of unauthorised constructions. When asked whether the chief minister had been apprised of the issue, Kunte said: "It's just two, three days since the new government took charge, and the committee is also yet to finalise the date of the next meeting."