PMC weighs new administrative headquarters on 2.5-acre Shivajinagar site of Shivaji Akhada

The workload of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has grown considerably after 32 new villages were included within its limits. The population and the number of employees are rising, as are administrative needs. This is putting increasing pressure on the existing civic headquarters.

Against this background, a proposal to build a separate, state-of-the-art administrative headquarters on the site of Shivaji Akhada in Shivajinagar is being considered. An option of about 2.5 acres has emerged. Possibilities are currently being examined with a view to drawing up an initial outline of the new administrative centre.

The PMC was established in 1950. The existing headquarters building was constructed in 1966. As administrative and political work grew, construction of a separate building for elected representatives began in 2015 and became ready for use in 2018. This gave corporators and office-bearers a separate space for meetings and other work. However, the PMC's various administrative departments still face a shortage of space.

Several departments, including property tax assessment and collection, the education board, local body tax (LBT) and the health department, are currently operating from different buildings. Officials and employees therefore have to travel between offices for meetings, coordination and administrative work. To address this, PMC House Leader Ganesh Bidkar has put forward the idea of a new administrative headquarters.

The Shivaji Akhada site belongs to the PMC and had been given out on a long-term lease. Senior leader Sharad Pawar has also been spoken to about shifting Shivaji Akhada to the Balewadi area. It is said that the move to advance the proposal has picked up pace after his positive response.

The plan is to bring several PMC departments together in the proposed building. It is expected that this will improve coordination among departments and speed up administrative work. The proposal includes online meeting rooms with modern technology, large halls for various committees, and a separate facility for citizens' complaints and other services. The main aim is that people should not have to make the rounds of several offices for different tasks, and that the PMC's administration should become simpler and faster.

According to PMC City Engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar, no final decision has yet been taken on shifting Shivaji Akhada to Balewadi, taking possession of the site, the design of the new building, or the availability of funds for the project. A detailed presentation of the proposal will be made to PMC office-bearers and the Commissioner. A final decision on the further process for the project and the actual construction will be taken after that.