The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Friday approved a proposal to call for suggestions and objections to change the reservation of a plot of land for the proposed Koregaon Park police station, taking one more step in the tardy process.
DNA on July 23, ('Koregaon Park police station mired in red tape') reported how the PMC has agreed to provide land to the police department for the police station, but has been taking too much time for changing the reservation.
The need for a separate police station for Koregaon Park area was felt strongly after the German Bakery bomb blast in February last year. The police could not establish a separate police station there as the land for the same is not available.
Police commissioner, Meeran Borwankar, had sent a letter to the then municipal commissioner, Mahesh Zagade, on February 4, 2011, asking the civic body to hand over the plot of land owned by it for the proposed Koregaon Park police station.
Although Zagade approved the proposal, the land of 10,000 square feet could not be immediately handed over as it is reserved for school and the reservation needs to be changed. The proposed land is part of Sangamwadi TP Scheme final plot no. 379 of total area of about one acre.
The request was made in February and the administration sent the proposal to the city improvement committee (CIC) on June 24. It was approved by the CIC on July 8. The proposal was passed by the GB on August 26. Now, suggestions and objections would be heard and then the proposal would be put up before the GB again.
Local corporator, Babu Vagaskar of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena opposed the proposal. He said the nearby plot of 60,000 square feet owned by the revenue department for officers' quarters is available and land from that plot should be provided for the police station.
Independent corporator, Ujwal Keskar, said the state government should use its special powers and order transfer of land instead of following the time-consuming process of changing reservation.
