The Bombay High Court has given the Maharashtra state government a strict four-month timeline to finalise the floodline demarcation for Pune city, amid growing concerns over flawed and outdated markings in the city’s 2017 Development Plan (DP).
A division bench of Justices Alok Aadhav and Sandeep Marne passed the order on June 30 in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 2021 by Pune-based civic activists Sarang Yadwadkar, Vivek Velankar, and Vijay Kumbhar. The PIL alleged that inaccurate floodline data in the DP posed serious risks to the city and demanded that no new construction be permitted within 100 metres of the existing floodlines.
The High Court had previously directed the state to constitute an expert committee headed by the additional chief secretary of the Water Resources Department. However, the committee failed to convene or submit its report, prompting the petitioners to file an interim application highlighting the inaction.
In its latest directive, the court ordered the expert committee to submit its report within two months from June 30, and instructed the state government to take appropriate action based on the committee’s recommendations within the following two months.
“The expert committee shall positively submit a report to the state government within a period of two months from June 30. The state government, on receipt of the report, shall take appropriate action… within a further period of two months,” the court stated. It also allowed the petitioners to provide additional suggestions after the report is submitted.
Activists Yadwadkar and Kumbhar said the PIL sought replacement of the existing floodlines with scientifically determined ones, based on updated hydrological mapping. “Despite earlier court orders, the expert committee took no steps to study or revise the floodlines. Pune continues to face the threat of floods due to faulty planning,” Yadwadkar said.
The PIL also emphasized that land within 100 metres of the floodlines should not be used for development plans, warning that continued inaction could expose Pune to significant flood risks.
The High Court’s latest order sets the stage for a long-overdue scientific reassessment of Pune’s flood safety and is seen as a significant step toward addressing urban planning failures in the city.
