PCMC standing committee refers Punawale school land lease proposal to general body amid residents’ protest

Pune: Facing strong opposition from residents, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's standing committee on Wednesday referred to the general body a proposal to lease out a plot reserved for an educational institute in Punawale to a private organisation.The proposal seeks to allot the land to a private educational institution on a 30-year lease to set up a school. Residents of the area have objected to the move and urged the civic body to instead establish its own educational facility on the plot.Standing committee chairman Abhishek Barne told TOI, "Since residents have opposed the proposal, it has been sent to the general body for a final decision."Earlier on Monday, members of the Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Societies Federation wrote to the municipal commissioner and the chief minister seeking their intervention in the matter.Federation member Sachin Londhe said in the letter that Punawale is among the rapidly growing areas of the city and there is a need for affordable and quality secondary education for common citizens. "If the school is built by a private developer, the fees will be exorbitant and beyond the reach of ordinary citizens," he said, and added that the civic body should organise a public hearing on the issue and hear residents' views before taking any decision.He said the municipal corporation already has a state-of-the-art CBSE school operational in Wakad and should consider developing a similar institution in Punawale to set an example of a good education system.According to sources, the civic body has proposed to lease out 0.91 hectares of land for a school against Rs 7 crore for a 30-year lease. The municipal corporation had already initiated the tendering process for the project and three firms had shown interest, of which one was finalised.