Maharashtra: Revenue up, will infra improve in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad?

The Pune Municipal Corporation PMC and PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMC generated Rs 2601 crore and Rs 88133 crore respectively from building permissions alone in the financial year 202425 an unprecedented feat for both civic bodiesShridhar Yeolekar superintending engineer building permission department of the PMC said ldquoThe civic body has witnessed a recordbreaking revenue surge from building permits with the building permission department generating Rs 2601 crore in the financial year 202425rdquoMeanwhile the property tax department collected Rs 2355 crore in the same period For the second consecutive year the building permission department has outperformed the property tax department in revenue generation significantly boosting the civic bodyrsquos financesIn the previous financial year 202324 the PMCrsquos building permission department set a record by collecting Rs 2428 crore from 1773 building permits This year the department has surpassed that figure granting 3359 building permits and securing Rs 2601 croreThe PMC had set a target of Rs 2492 crore for building permission fees and development charges in its 202425 budget However the target was exceeded by Rs 109 crore civic officials saidAsked why Punersquos real estate market appears to be thriving Yeolekar said ldquoThere several factors involved in growth Pune continues to attract residents due to its premier educational institutions advanced healthcare facilities favourable climate abundant job opportunities infrastructure and status as an IT hub This could be the reason for the surge in building permit approvals and the historic revenue boost for the PMCrdquoYearonyear increaseIn 201920 the building permission department fetched the PMC Rs 769 crore in revenue The figures for 202021 202122 202223 and 202324 are Rs 507 crore Rs 2095 crore Rs 1636 crore and Rs 2407 crore respectively The PMC gave maximum building permissions for redevelopment projects in the city area In 202425 the building permission department of the PCMC witnessed an increase of Rs 77 crore compared to the previous yearPCMC officials said that the largescale construction projects in the city were previously stalled due to a regulatory shift requiring environmental clearance from the Central environment ministry instead of the Maharashtra environment department The prolonged approval process led to a significant decline in revenue for the civic body However with multiple construction approvals granted in March revenue has witnessed a notable rise this yearAs per civic records the primary revenue source was building permission fees amounting to Rs 75067 crore Urban Transport Fund UTF charges contributed Rs 12889 crore while other income sources added Rs 174 crore This cumulative revenue of Rs 88130 crore has been deposited into the municipal treasury marking a positive financial trend In 202122 the PCMC generated Rs 1060 crore in 202223 Rs 781 crore and in 202324 Rs 804 croreResident SpeakAditi Jog a resident of Kothrud said ldquoAlthough the PMC generates huge revenue from the building permissions department and property tax the ongoing rapid redevelopment work disturbs citizensrsquo peace The elderly and small children cannot bear the deafening sound of machines used to demolish old buildings The civic body should establish strict norms for such activities Secondly how will the PMC cater to the basic needs of water roads and drainage for new establishments There is no clear vision for this During the summer Pune relies entirely on water tankers and in the monsoon it sinks due to waterloggingrdquoNilesh Kulkarni a resident of Wakad stated that while granting building permissions for new projects the PCMC should first consider whether it can provide enough water and clean air ldquoThe suburbs are dependent on water tankers Due to extensive development work air quality has deteriorated drastically and the green cover is vanishing The civic body must consider the entire ecosystem before carrying out developmentrdquo he said