Declare Red Zone Boundaries as per New Survey; Cancel Old Demarcation from Revised Development Plan (Nigdi, Yamunanagar, Sector 22): Sachin Chikhale
Pimpri Chinchwad | The newly revised draft development plan (DP Plan) of Pimpri-Chinchwad city was published on May 14. However, the municipal administration has been receiving numerous objections regarding the plan. Among them is a strong objection from MNS City President Sachin Chikhale, concerning the Red Zone demarcation in the Yamunanagar, Nigdi, and Sector 22 areas. He has questioned the whereabouts of the ₹1 crore spent by the municipal corporation for a new Red Zone survey.
In his memorandum to the Municipal Commissioner, Sachin Chikhale stated that Ward No. 13, which includes Nigdi, Yamunanagar, and Sector No. 22, had been surveyed a few years ago, marking certain areas as Red Zones. This caused significant difficulties for local residents. Citizens had constructed homes and bungalows on plots allotted by the authority in Yamunanagar. However, these areas were later marked as Red Zones.
Similarly, in Sainath Nagar, plots were sold to citizens, who then built homes. In the adjacent Yamunanagar area, a developer constructed the Runal Florence building with proper municipal approval and sold flats to residents. Despite this, a few years later, Red Zone markings were suddenly made without informing the citizens or taking them into confidence, leading to their properties being affected. This has created serious issues for the residents, including ineligibility for home loans and inability to sell property due to Red Zone classification.
Chikhale further stated that the Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Settlement and Sector No. 22 in Nigdi — a 100-acre area — was purchased by the Municipal Corporation from the Authority. Under the JNNURM scheme, the corporation had spent crores of rupees to rehabilitate slum dwellers with the help of the state and central governments. However, the project was stalled due to Red Zone restrictions, resulting in many poor and underprivileged slum dwellers being denied homes. They are still awaiting justice.
Recently, the Municipal Corporation again undertook a new Red Zone survey, spending around ₹1 crore. Yet, there has been no clarity or official decision on the survey’s results. There is no information about which areas are currently within or outside the Red Zone. The old map seems to have been retained in the new development plan, raising questions about the purpose of the new survey and the money spent on it.
Therefore, Sachin Chikhale has demanded that the Red Zone boundaries be declared according to the new survey and that the old markings be immediately canceled from the newly published development plan. While submitting the memorandum, Deepak Khairnar and Akash Kamble were also present.
