Development Land Acquisition: ‘Ultimatum’ to District Administration

Otherwise, officials will be held accountable in the upcoming Assembly session!

Pimpri-Chinchwad | Correspondent

To expedite the pending land acquisition cases required for various development works in Pimpri-Chinchwad city, BJP MLA Mahesh Landge has issued a clear ‘ultimatum’ to the district administration. MLA Landge directed that the submitted land acquisition cases should be resolved within the next one-and-a-half months; otherwise, the concerned officials will be held accountable in the upcoming Assembly session, he warned.

Notably, 100% of the land acquisition for the Nashik Phata–Khed Elevated Corridor is being completed. The process is in its final stage, the District Collector said. This is expected to give momentum to the Pune–Nashik Highway widening project.

A crucial meeting regarding land acquisition was held in the presence of Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi. Officials from the Town Planning Department, District Administration, Land Acquisition Department, Land Records Department and other concerned departments were present. The meeting reviewed various land acquisition proposals previously submitted by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Deputy Director, Town Planning Department, Mr. Khobragade; Deputy Superintendent, Land Records, Haveli, Mr. Gophane; City Survey Officer Mr. Nanaware; Agricultural Officer (Valuation) Mr. Dhas; Forest Officer Mr. Yadav; Land Acquisition Officers, Group Nos. 1 and 2, Mrs. Vishwasrao; Executive Engineer Mr. Chaure, ‘F’ Regional Office; Assistant Director, Town Planning, Mr. Khadtare; and Land Acquisition Coordination Officer and Naib Tehsildar Mr. Brahme, along with other concerned officials, were present.

The Municipal Corporation has already submitted land acquisition proposals to the concerned departments. Therefore, instead of focusing on when proposals should be submitted, it is now necessary to determine which department and which officer will take further action on each submitted proposal and within how many days, MLA Landge stated.

It was directed that if any additional information or documents are sought by the Municipal Corporation, the same should be provided within seven days. Instructions were also issued to appoint a nodal officer from the Municipal Corporation for each proposal and ensure continuous coordination with the district administration.

The Land Acquisition Department at the District Collector’s Office was also directed to prepare a case-wise status of all proposals previously submitted by the Municipal Corporation and provide the civic body with a clear list indicating what action is pending in each case.

Measurement Process to be Completed Within 15 Days

Instructions were issued to expedite the measurement process, which is an important stage in land acquisition. It was directed that cases received by the Land Records and Measurement Office should be recorded separately and necessary measurement work should be completed within 15 days. Measurement maps, area details and boundary demarcation reports should be made available to the Land Acquisition Department immediately. A separate review of pending measurement cases should be conducted and weekly action should be taken on them. MLA Landge also pointed out that the shortage of manpower needs to be addressed to expedite land acquisition cases. Of the 11 sanctioned posts in the Land Acquisition Office, only 4 are currently filled, while 7 posts are vacant. Therefore, a demand was made to appoint a full-time Land Acquisition Officer and provide the complete sanctioned manpower.

Review of Pending Cases Every Week

A joint review of pending land acquisition cases should be conducted every week. A definite timeline for further action should be prepared for each case and action should be completed accordingly, instructions were issued at the meeting. The key decision of the meeting was to assign department-wise responsibility and establish a fixed deadline for the final disposal of every submitted land acquisition proposal. Therefore, it is expected that actual action will be taken on pending land acquisition cases over the next one-and-a-half months, giving momentum to various development works in the city.

“Pending land acquisition cases cannot be allowed to delay development works in Pimpri-Chinchwad. The Municipal Corporation has already submitted the proposals. Therefore, responsibility for each case should now be fixed on the concerned officer and department, and the cases should be finally resolved within the next one-and-a-half months. If cases related to priority works are not resolved within the stipulated time, the concerned officials will be held accountable in the upcoming Assembly session. Administrative delays in the way of development works will not be tolerated. It is an encouraging development that the land acquisition work for the Pune–Nashik Highway is on the verge of being 100% completed.”

— Mahesh Landge, MLA, BJP, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune