Pune: In a significant move, the Pimpri-Chinchwad New Town Development Authority (PCNTDA) properties are set to become 'freehold,' providing relief to nearly 500,000 citizens. State Cabinet Minister Uday Samant assured the legislative assembly that this decision would be made after ensuring that there is no financial loss to the state government.
During the state legislature's monsoon session in Mumbai, BJP MLA Mahesh Landge raised the demand to free 97,414 leasehold properties within the PCNTDA limits through an attention motion. Minister Samant responded positively, reassuring the residents of the authority's areas.
MLA Mahesh Landge explained that the PCNTDA was established in 1972 with the aim of acquiring land, developing it, and allocating it to workers and economically weaker sections.
The government has generated significant revenue through auctions based on the ready reckoner rates. In 2021, the PCNTDA was merged into the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and the developed properties were transferred to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for maintenance and repairs.
However, due to the complex processes of the authority, property owners have not received 'Building Completion Certificates,' and the transfer fees are exorbitant.
The inheritance registration process is cumbersome and time-consuming, and about 95 per cent of the societies do not have convenience deeds. As a result, redevelopment of 30-year-old societies is not possible, and properties do not appear 'title clear' during legal searches, preventing nationalized banks from providing loans.
This has caused significant distress to the 97,414 property owners, as highlighted by MLA Mahesh Landge in the assembly. The state government has adopted a positive stance on this issue, promising relief to around 500,000 residents of the authority's areas.
“Making the properties within the PCNTDA limits 'freehold' will not impose a financial burden on the municipal corporation, PMRDA, or the state government. The authority's merger with PMRDA and the transfer of developed leasehold properties to PCMC generates around Rs. 100 crore in revenue for PCMC.
Additionally, PCMC receives grants from the central and state governments and earns revenue from property tax and other sources. Converting these properties to freehold will only increase revenue, ensuring a resolution to this issue,” stated MLA Mahesh Landge.