India, July 16 -- The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) informed the Bombay High Court on Tuesday of its decision to withdraw the controversial Draft Development Plan (DP) announced in August 2021. However, the legal dispute over the planning jurisdiction of 23 villages, merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits in 2021, remains unresolved, with two petitions scheduled for hearing on August 25.

In an affidavit submitted before Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne, PMRDA stated that it had passed a resolution to withdraw the draft DP formally. The move signals a significant shift in the long-standing tussle over planning authority in parts of the rapidly urbanising Pune region.

The draf...