PCMC’s Draft Development Plan controversially reclassifies green hilly zones in Moshi and nearby areas as residential, benefiting builders while imposing restrictions on farmers’ lands, sparking anger and expected objections.
Pune | June 06, 2025: The newly unveiled Draft Development Plan (DP) for Pimpri Chinchwad has drawn sharp criticism, as several policy shifts appear to favour builders at the expense of local farmers and the city’s natural environment.
One of the most contentious changes is the reclassification of green zones across several hilly areas in Moshi, Chikhli, Dudulgaon, and Wadmukhwadi. Once protected as ‘Hill Area’ due to their ecological significance, these zones are now marked for residential development — a move that many fear was made to accommodate large-scale real estate interests.
The DP, which shapes the future development trajectory of the city, now includes additional villages merged into PCMC in 1997 and sections of Tathawade. It details land use allocations, road networks, public spaces, and residential and commercial zones. While this provides clarity on urban planning, certain decisions within the plan are now under scrutiny.
During the tenure of former Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Patil, a city-wide land use survey was conducted, and an official map highlighting significant green and hilly zones was published online. These areas were intended to remain preserved. However, in the current draft, critical parts of this map have been altered — green zones have shrunk, with new allowances for high-rise construction.
A striking example lies along the Alandi-Moshi highway. Here, an 18-meter road runs parallel to stretches of land that once hosted large, unspoiled hills. Survey plots 314 to 317 and 319 to 324, previously safeguarded within the green zone, have now been redesignated for residential use, opening the door for intensive construction.
This reclassification not only benefits certain builders but has also triggered discontent among local farmers. Ironically, while builder-owned plots in sensitive areas were freed for development, the DP imposed new land reservations on farmland owned by ordinary villagers in Moshi and Chikhli — a move seen as inequitable.
“The draft plan clearly reflects biased policymaking,” said social activist Mauli Borate. “It is no coincidence that builders are gaining the most from the shrinking green zones, while farmers are left to fight new restrictions on their land.”
Farmers in the affected regions are preparing to voice strong objections during the public feedback period, with many calling the plan unjust and detrimental to the local community.
As the debate intensifies, the PCMC faces growing pressure to justify these controversial changes and to address concerns over whether public interest or private profit is truly guiding the city’s development.
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