PCMC hammer will continue to strike during monsoon too

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will continue its drive against unauthorised constructions even during monsoon. Normally all anti-encroachment drives are suspended during the rainy season to avoid inconvenience to people but the PCMC has decided to go ahead with its drive despite strong protests by various political parties.

The civic body will also keep on filing first information reports (FIRs) against owners of illegally buildings. It has has filed nearly 1,416 FIRs in the past one year.

The PCMC has also uploaded details of illegal properties on its official website. It has cleared 15.27 lakh sq ft land over the past one year by demolishing illegal structures built after April 1, 2012. According to the PCMC’s engineering department spokesperson Shirish Poredi, the demolition drive was halted for almost four months during the monsoon last year. But this year, municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi has issued orders to continue the drive.

The civic officials, however, feel that they will have to go slow on the drive as the court has ruled that slums should not be demolished during monsoon. They said that at least 2,500 new illegal structures have come up in a year.

In its initial phase, the PCMC started demolishing illegal structures developed on the land reserved for various purposes in the development plan (DP), the buildings in floodline and riverbed and encroachments on public reservations

Notices to 35 hazardous structures

PCMC has issued notices to nearly 35 old and unsafe constructions over the past one month to ensure safety of citizens during monsoon. Four deaths were reported in the past week in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad due to collapse of hazardous buildings.

PCMC engineering department spokesperson Shirish Poredi told dna, “The PCMC started issuing notices to the risky and dangerous structures in May. During one month, the civic officials identified 35 such structures in various parts of the city.”

After an illegally built multi-storeyed building collapsed in Mumbai claiming over 70 lives, the state government had ordered the municipal corporations to conduct structural audits of buildings and demolish the hazardous ones.