The district collectorate has decided to form special squads to survey the growth of illegal constructions in the district. District collector Vikas Deshmukh announced the formation of the squads while talking to the media on Monday.

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On May 4, the district collectorate had razed 23 illegal structures to the ground on the hills of Katraj, in what was touted as the biggest such drive in the district. “The proliferation of illegal constructions was possible due to lax supervision from the authorities,” Deshmukh said.

The squad would keep tabs on illegal constructions throughout the district. “The modality of the squads will be discussed at the district-level revenue officers on May 18,” he said.

Deshmukh said majority of constructions razed were approved by the gram panchayats and were illegal. The collector said that to ensure proper implementation of the approved town planning schemes, the respective sub-divisional officers (SDO)s would be given the authority to scrutinise building plans sanctioned by the gram panchayat.

Deshmukh appealed to buyers to exercise caution while buying property. “While investing in any property, people should check for the land zoning, the sanctioned town planning map and the non-agriculture permission granted by the collector before investing,” he said.

When DNA pointed out that the state government’s official website to check the 7/12 land extract did not reflect land zoning, Deshmukh assured media persons that land zoning would be included on the website.