The Times of India       21.01.2011

PUNE: The general body of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation( PCMC) on Thursday approved a resolution to give incentives in the premium charges to builders to construct green buildings and give concession in property tax to the residents of such buildings in order to conserve the environment and reduce the burden on the civic body.

The star rating will be given as per the points scored for providing rainwater harvesting, solar power, drainage and sewage management facilities, along with other amenities. It is mandatory for the builders to provide some of these facilities in their projects. The green buildings will get concession in premium charges, from 10 per cent to 50 per cent. The green building certificate will be valid for a period of five years and needs to be renewed every year. The owners of the flats will also get a 10 per cent concession in the general tax after the builder hands over the possession to them.

Meanwhile, the meeting witnessed heated discussions on the issue of giving administrative approval for shifting the high and low tension poles, wires and feeder pillars of the Maharahastra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) obstructing the widening of Thergaon-Wakad road, from Dange chowk to Mhatoba corner, a Rs 98.41-lakh project. Many corporators have complained that the civic officials are not approving the projects to shift the electricity poles and wires and make them underground. They pointed out that the electricity wires need to be made underground to ensure the safety of the citizens, and such projects should be approved wherever they are essential.

Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Yogesh Behl has kept the proposal pending and directed the administration to give information at the next GB meeting about the places where underground cables were laid, the expenditure on these projects and the pending projects, to make electricity cables underground.

Behl has also directed the civic administration to resubmit a proposal in the next GB meeting, about changing 95 hectare of land in Borhadewadi from green zone to non-agricultural zone.