Citizens say growing Pune requires more corporators

PUNE: Will the citizens of Pune get adequate representation to voice their concerns in the elected body of the Pune Municipal Corporation?
The question in the wake of the two-member state cabinet's decision on Wednesday reversing the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's decision of increasing the number of elected members in all civic bodies and redrawing of ward boundaries needs clear answers. The ward boundaries will revert to the 2017 format and fresh lotteries will have to be drawn for the reservation seats.

In Pune, the cabinet decision means that the number of elected members in the PMC will shrink from 173 to 166. Civic observers and political analysts said that such numbers by themselves are not sufficient to represent the voice of Pune's citizens considering the burgeoning population and extension of the civic boundaries over the last decade. In fact, the biggest flaw, they feel, is the determination of elected members based on the 2011 Census, which puts PMC's population at 35.57 lakh.
Civic activist Vivek Velankar said, "Much water has flown under the bridge since then as Pune's population has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. Not to mention the merger of 11 villages in 2017 and 23 villages in 2021 into the civic limits and the same bringing their own set of civic issues and problems needing an apt platform to voice and get matters resolved."
It brings back questions about the population from the newly added areas or even the existing areas getting representation in the elected body. The neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, which is a thriving industrial hub, is also no exception, political observers said.
Prakash M Pawar, head of the political science department in Fergusson College observed that factors like migration have made a major impact on the population. The drought in regions like Marathwada led to migration. Even the Covid pandemic has contributed to an increase in the population of cities like Pune and Mumbai.
He said, "The situation has drastically changed. If the old Census data is used, it will not give a correct picture. Public representation should be done based on correct facts and figures. Even if the 2021 Census could not be completed, authorities concerned should take steps for finding some solution for accurate data about current population."
Political analyst Chandrakant Bhujbal said that it was not logical to reduce representatives when the population has been rising in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
Senior BJP leader Ujwal Keskar said, "Factors like last rolls for the state assembly election should be taken as the base for finalising the number of corporators. The population based system to review the elected members can be reconsidered. Voter population of latest state elections will give a clearer picture than nearly a decade old population data. Legal provisions about it should be made. Even factors like municipal boundaries should be a deciding factor."
Senior Congress leader and former corporator Gopal Tiwari said that a decision to reduce the number of elected members will adversely affect the city's development.
"The city's population is increasing every year. The population density has gone up. A drop in corporators' numbers is not justifiable. The MVA government had taken a decision to increase the representation however the two-member state cabinet of Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis has changed it without any logic," he added.