Pune: Bombay high court has directed Maharashtra govt and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to formally declare the reservation for a 7.5-metre-wide road on a plot in Kasarwadi as lapsed, holding that the land was not acquired within the statutory time limit.In an order passed on Aug 25, a division bench of justice MS Karnik and justice Sandesh Patil directed the authorities to publish an official gazette notification declaring the reservation on the property bearing Survey No. 434/9A/2/1, corresponding to CS No. 2593 (part) in Kasarwadi, Bhosari, lapsed within 12 weeks.The court noted that the statutory 10-year period had expired in Sept 2005 without the authorities acquiring the plot. PCMC had marked the land for road development in 1995. The landowners subsequently issued a purchase notice under Section 127 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act on May 27, 2022.The court held that since the authorities failed to acquire the property within 24 months of the purchase notice, the reservation lapsed under provisions of the Act. The family owning the land had approached HC in 2024, challenging PCMC’s prolonged delay in acquisition.A senior PCMC town planning official said the civic body still required the land for road widening. “If the land is not acquired, it could become a missing link and lead to congestion. We are exploring legal options to acquire the land against FSI or TDR. Appropriate steps will be taken,” he added.