Pune Public Commission of Inquiry 2010

We all witness small and large violations of common-sense and community needs in the development projects across the city. These are usually also a violation of the city's Development Plan (DP) - a document that is supposed to serve as a blueprint to the way our city develops. The DP itself often fails to understand the character and culture of the city and the way it may shape in 10, 20 or 50 years. It is little wonder that an accumulation of these "small" failures has resulted in less than 20% of the DP being implemented, urban chaos (failure to provide water, electricity or telecom, failure to remove waste, failure to ensure smooth flow of traffic, failure of health and hygiene, failure to prevent or manage disasters) and an inability of the city to grow its economic and social potential.


In June and October 2010 Pune experienced destruction of life and property due to massive flooding. It was obvious to everyone who experienced the flood that the city's man-made storm water drains were absent, choked or inadequate to carry the water away. It was also obvious through the fury of the natural streams that their natural ability to buffer the rainfall by allowing it to be absorbed by vegetation, percolate into the ground or flow away to the river had been compromised by unscrupulous encroachments and channelization projects.  Clearly the city had failed to implement its DP.

The biggest impediment to implementing the Development Plan is the inability of the city to track and implement its Development Plan (DP). The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Municipal Commissioner requested a Judicial Inquiry into this massive failure to suggest remedies.

Justice P.B Sawant, retired Supreme Court Judge has been appointed to head the Public Commission of Inquiry to inquire into the failure of the PMC to implement even 20% of the Development Plan. The Terms of Reference for the commission include those recommended by the Municipal Commissioner of the PMC vide his letter MC/UA(G)/162 dated 23rd June 2010:

1. Illegal Buildings
2. Encroachments
3. Flow of rivers and streams
4. Building permissions
5. Development Plan
6. Responsibilities of officials
7. Failure of Administration
8. Solutions and reforms 

You can now be a part of the process that can help build a better Pune. Submit your complaints highlighting the small and large violations that you know of to the commission at http://bit.ly/pci2010 or simply by filling out the form below.