Development of BDPs unlikely this fiscal

Pune: Biodiversity parks on hills around the city are not likely to see any development this year as the civic body has not allotted any funds in its recently-announced budget for the fiscal 2017-18.

Encroachments in the form of illegal constructions within these demarcated areas have, however, become an issue.

The biodiversity parks (

BDP

) were included in Pune’s draft development plan (DP) for 2007-2027 to protect the hills from construction. According to PMC garden superintendent Ashok Ghorpade, “There was no mention of fund allocation for Biodiversity Parks in the civic body’s budget this time. Portions of land for the parks remain to be acquired, owing to which we have not received the go-ahead to begin work on them,” he said.

The building development department of PMC is currently planning the land acquisition, on completion of which the garden department would receive these land parcels to develop as BDPs. Affirming this, superintending engineer for building development, Aniruddha Pawaskar, said while the reservation of the land for biodiversity parks was approved by the state government, land acquisition is still pending.

“The mode of compensation remains to be finalised. A part of the land is owned by different government departments and part of it is privately-owned by various parties. While earlier it was suggested that the compensation be strictly monetary, some land owners are demanding transfer of development rights in the 23 villages merged into PMC limits,” he said.

A majority of the proposed BDP land falls within the new area of 23 villages merged into PMC. As reported earlier by TOI, land owners here have been seeking permission to use some part of their land for construction, which conflicts with the 2015 notification by the state government on protection of biodiversity parks.

In defiance of the law, illegal constructions have still cropped up in many of these demarcated areas.

On encroachments, he said, “At present most of the encroachments that we are focussing on are coming up within BDP areas. Our teams have been asked to visit these sites regularly and take action. If, after being issued notice, they do not stop construction, then action is being initiated,” he said.