The state government owns grazing land in Baner, Balewadi, Kondhwa Budhruk, Mohammadwadi, Vadgaon Budhruk and Hadapsar. (File) The state government owns grazing land in Baner, Balewadi, Kondhwa Budhruk, Mohammadwadi, Vadgaon Budhruk and Hadapsar. (File) Struggling to find an open space for a weekly vegetable market for farmers in the city, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s efforts to make use of the grazing land in civic jurisdiction has not been fruitful so far. “The state government has asked the civic body to provide land for a weekly vegetable market. There is hardly any open space with the PMC to be used for the same… so, permission was sought from the district collector to allow the vegetable market on the grazing land owned by the state government,” said Madhav Jagtap, deputy municipal commissioner. The state government owns grazing land in Baner, Balewadi, Kondhwa Budhruk, Mohammadwadi, Vadgaon Budhruk and Hadapsar. “If the grazing land is made available, then the civic body can enable the weekly market in the area,” he said. The district collectorate said the PMC could use the land for public purposes. However, if it wanted to use the land for civic purposes, then it would have to ensure that there won’t be any construction on the land and that the land would not be used for commercial purposes. The PMC will also have to ensure that the land would not be transferred to anyone else. “The PMC has the responsibility of taking care of the government-owned grazing land in its jurisdiction. It can use the land for public purposes on the condition that it won’t be used for commercial purpose,” stated the district collectorate in a communication. Jagtap said the conditions of the district collectorate do not confirm whether the land can be used for the weekly market. “The PMC will seek clarification on that as the vegetable market will be providing income to farmers and the civic body has to charge them a fee for the maintenance of the land and ensuring its cleanliness,” he said. The PMC charges Rs 50 per 100 sq feet of land for a day. The civic body has to recover cleanliness costs and provide the service of solid waste management at the market, said Jagtap. The PMC has given permission to 10 weekly vegetable markets in the city while a total of 40 are functional in the city. “The PMC has informed the agriculture marketing board, appointed to monitor the weekly market, that 30 are operating illegally on private properties,” he said. For all the latest Pune News, download Indian Express App

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