Legal battle haunts home owners in Pune's Camp area

The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has filed cases against the owners of at least 1,500 houses in Camp area for illegal constructions. These cases are pending in the court for over five years. As the decision is still awaited, owners can neither renovate nor sell their houses.

“Some of the cases are in the court and few are still pending with the General Officer in Command, Southern Command,” said Sashi Puram, president of Pune City Labour Front (PCLF).

He further added, “People should pay the penalty levied so that the cases can be disposed of quickly. Also, they should start paying property tax so that the revenue generated can be used for pending projects.”

Rehan Khan, resident of MG Road, said, “As my family expanded, it became necessary for me to add another floor due to which the PCB filled a legal case against me. I have been waiting for the judgment for the last six years now.”

Another resident of Taboot Street, who did not want to be named for legal reasons, said, “We tried taking permission from PCB but no one helped us. We finally went ahead and added a room to our home. As soon as the structure was added, the PCB officials came and slapped a legal case against us in 2007.”

The chief engineer of PCB department, Ketan Shirodkar, while speaking to DNA said, “It is mandatory to take permission before constructing anything. Now even if we want to make any structural changes to keep the old heritage intact, we cannot do so as the cases are still pending.”