Inviting Suggestions from Stakeholders for the CDP (2013 – 2040)

Hi there all,
A City Development Plan has been prepared without proper consultations with us Punekars, with no vision, with no linkages to the Development Plan (which is as per the MRTP Act) prepared by PMC and vetted by our elected representatives,  with no time line by which each project will be completed, with no checking how the money has been spent of the first JnNURM and with no checking if the projects have achieved their objectives, and I could go on and on.. They have even given us only till 20th February to give our Suggestions and Objections.. At our meeting today, it was decided we all write a letter to Pune's Municipal Commissioner and make our objections clear.. A copy of my letter is below..
So please Forward a copy of this letter with deleting the parts Highlighted in Green and in Red.. This letter should be sent to the email ids which are highlighted in Red and of course putting your name and address instead of mine..
You can also download this letter, print it and sign it as well as collect more sgnatures and send to
Officer on Special Duty, JnNURM
2nd Floor, Main Building, Pune Municipal Corporation
Shivajinagar Pune 411005
But do remember to see that it reaches PMC by 20th Feb at the latest..
Thanks and all the best..
Satish Khot  

National Society for Clean Cities, Pune

Pune a Clean City - Clean in Every Which Way   

 

16 February 2013

To,

The Municipal Commissioner,

Pune Municipal Corporation,

Shivajinagar,

Pune 411 005

 

Dear Sir,

 

This refers to the Public Notice published by PMC announcing that the CDP for 2013 – 2040 for Pune city has been prepared by PMC and suggestions are invited from citizens and different stakeholders required to be submitted to PMC by 20^th February 2013..

 

We would like to state that for any meaningful suggestions to be made, more time is needed for downloading the CDP documents from the PMC website, to read and understand the various proposals made therein..

 

We would also like to submit that the whole process of CDP preparation that has been going on for several months has been carried out in a totally non-transparent manner. Many citizens and NGOs contacted by M/s Voyants Solutions Pvt Ltd (who have been assigned to prepare the CDP in consultation with PMC) had given in writing and orally that before proper suggestions can be made it was essential for many documents to be made available to the public – particularly about the earlier CDP of 2006, as well as about a clear vision for this CDP (2013 to 2040), which is totally missing..

 

Citizens can’t be expected to make meaningful suggestions in the absence of clarity about what the earlier CDP had or had not achieved. What part of the 2006 CDP was implemented and what wasn’t, along with logical reason why this was so..

 

From a cursory reading of the CDP 2013 to 2040 document - which we have not had the time to go through in detail, there appears to be no clarity about the vision or strategies adopted to address the problems. What are the issues identified, what are the goals and how are the proposed projects going to mitigate or solve the problems identified is far from clear..

 

From what we can see, there is complete disconnect between the objectives (as can be understood from your documents) of the CDP and relevant action proposed through various projects to be undertaken with JnNURM funding during the next three decades or so..

 

Similarly there is no clarity about the connection between the CDP which is a non-statutory document (meant primarily to qualify for the JnNURM funds) and the DP which is a statutory and mandatory document. There is also no proper connection between this CDP and similar actions/proposals under say the Environment Status Report (ESR), Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) passed by PMC. Neither do we see any explanation about how the proposals (under CDP) will fit with the proposed budget of PMC for 2013-2014. For example, in case of Traffic and Transportation, most proposals under the CDP seem to have no consonance with the broad objectives of various policy documents accepted or mandatory for PMC. In other words, in case of transport and projects taken up for improving traffic and transport conditions, the proposals and projects under CDP need to be in line with the accepted national policy such as the NUTP. This has been accepted in the CMP. However, the proposals and projects that are seen to be included in the CDP appear to fly in the face of NUTP and CMP as these are either disconnected from the CMP or in clear violation of the vision of NUTP and CMP. All these anomalies need to be sorted out and clarified before stakeholders, citizens, NGOs and individual specialists can offer any suggestions as required under CDP and JnNURM conditonalities..

 

We feel that this CDP document is nothing but a wish list of what is needed by the city (and this list too is not complete or fully appropriate). How this wish list is going to become a reality is not satisfactorily shown by the proposed projects, their timeline or priority as shown in the CDP. If anything, the projects and proposals seem to be often at variance with what needs to be done for the city..

 

We therefore submit most strongly that the process of stakeholder involvement and suggestions sought under CDP norms needs to be carried out in a transparent and proactive manner with honest consultation with individual citizens and NGOs working in the field for several decades in the city..

 

If this is not done, seeking suggestions and objections from citizens will become an exercise in futility and even a farce, and will be questionable under the relevant laws and statutes governing the process of citizens’ participation in a democratic manner..

 

We therefore demand that PMC should carry out this exercise with due diligence, openness and sincerity – instead of rushing through the process under the excuse of urgency to qualify for JnNURM funding..

 

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely,

 

Satish Khot   

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Satish Khot,
President, National Society for Clean Cities, Pune
#364, Clover Water Gardens, Kalyani Nagar, PUNE 411 006.
Tel: 9371221142; email: nsccpune@gmail.com, info.nsccpune@gmail.com