‘Draft DP has let down Pune’s middle class’

The draft of the city’s development plan (DP) presented by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not fulfilled the expectations of the middle class, said independent corporator Ujwal Keskar on Wednesday.

The administration on Tuesday submitted a draft DP of old city limits of the PMC to its city improvement committee (CIC). The draft would be published later to invite suggestions and objections from the public. The DP of old city limits of the PMC expired in 2007.

Keskar said that in the C-zone of the city — suburban areas such as Kothrud, Karvenagar, Sahakarnagar and Erandwane — the most important issue is of redevelopment of apartments. These are occupied by the middle class. Many of these apartments are 25 years old and there is a need for redevelopment.
But in the draft DP, there is no provision for additional FSI (floor space index) for redevelopment of old apartments. He said that in Peth
areas, there is a proposal for providing an additional FSI of 3 for redevelopment of wadas, but it is available only if there is cluster development of at least 20,000 square feet. The owners of wadas are forced to come together and sell the property to builders. The owners should have been given advantage of additional FSI, on an individual basis.
Stating that the CIC, the planning committee and the general body can make changes in the draft DP, Keskar urged them to address the concerns of the middle class.