NCP raises concern over PMC’s public outreach for riverfront project flagged by environmentalists
Expressing concern over Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) embarking on a public outreach programme for the River Front Development (RFD) project, the Urban cell of the city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has expressed fear that the civic administration might use the initiative to show public support for the project, which has been facing opposition from environmentalists and civil society members.
The PMC administration has distributed 10 lakh forms to school students in the city and is encouraging participation by declaring cash prizes for those filling and submitting it to the civic body.
“We have raised objection to the way PMC has undertaken the public outreach programme for RFD project. It is misleading the public. The form seeks opinion of citizens on water management but it is mainly for support to RFD.
The implementation of the project has been challenged in National Green Tribunal (NGT) so it was wrong to undertake public outreach with incomplete information. We fear that the PMC will misuse the forms being filled in RFD public outreach,” said NCP Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan.
She said that even as the NGT has directed PMC to rework the project proposal, the civic administration was going ahead with implementation.
“We have requested the municipal commissioner to withdraw the forms,” said Nitin Kadam, incharge of urban cell of city NCP.
“It is our duty to raise concerns about the project,” he said, adding the RFD will lead to serious flood situation in the city during monsoon.
Civic activist Vivek Velankar said that the PMC is behaving as if “they have some hidden agenda behind the public outreach on RFD”.
The PMC, for its part, said there was nothing wrong in the outreach, which is “similar” to the initiative carried out while implementing the Pune Metro Rail.
