Six proposed town planning (TP) schemes covering 1,000 hectares in the Pune Metropolitan Region are unlikely to proceed until the end of the year due to delays in state government approvals, according to officials from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

Five of the schemes are planned along the proposed ring road, while the sixth pertains to the Maan-Mhalunge area, which was highlighted as a model scheme during the 2019 assembly elections. A recent revision of the Maan-Mhalunge proposal has been submitted, but the other five proposals have been pending for over nine months without final approval. With assembly polls on the horizon, project implementation is expected to be further postponed.

Despite these setbacks, the state government has granted in-principle approval to 15 additional town planning schemes in the recently cleared PMRDA budget. The six affected schemes—Maan-Mhalunge, Vadachiwadi, Autunde Handewadi, Manjari Kolwadi, and two in Holkarwadi—are designed based on the Gujarat model, allowing landowners to retain 50% of developed land. The Central government has allocated infrastructure funds for these initiatives, but delays in approvals are hindering development in these areas.

Maan-Mhalunge was the first town planning scheme proposed by the state government. The draft development plan for the other five schemes was approved in January, facilitating potential development along the planned 82-km ring road, which encompasses nearly 5,000 hectares.

The scheme in Vadachiwadi will cover 134.79 hectares, while Autunde Handewadi will span 94.44 hectares. One of the Holkarwadi schemes will occupy 158.19 hectares, the other 130.78 hectares, and Manjari Kolwadi will cover 233.35 hectares.

Due to the delays, residents affected by the schemes are growing increasingly uncertain about the timeline for implementation. Suraj Soni, a local resident from Manjari, expressed concern that no projects would commence this year.

Officials noted that the state government's delay could also postpone the allocation of Central funds for infrastructure. The Central government is expected to approve Rs 25 crore each for the five schemes (excluding Maan-Mhalunge), while the PMRDA has allocated Rs 125 crore for these projects.