Demolition on small plots to continue

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration is firm on taking action on any illegal structure in and around the city despite the City Improvement Committee (CIC) earlier proposing a provision in the Development Control (DC) rules to legalise structures on small plots.

In fact, to make the drive more stringent the anti-encroachment squad of the civic body had been issuing criminal notices under sections 52 and 53 of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act.

Tragic: Police officers visit the under-construction building, which collapsed at Dange Chowk yesterday. Pic/Navnath Kaple

Anti-encroachment squad of the civic body had faced resistance from corporators and intervention from other political bigwigs. All party members in CIC had therefore unanimously tabled the draft Development Plan (DP) and proposed provision in the DC rules to legalise structures on the small plots.

PMC Commissioner Mahesh Pathak, , said, "There is nothing new in the CIC's draft development plan about constructing on small structures. The proposal will get ample time for getting approval from UDD in the state, as well as from Delhi. Even if the proposal is approved, the present ongoing action will not suffer because it will not have any retrospective effect but will be treated as prospective only."

"We are taking action on small as well as big construction plots, which have ground plus 4 or 5 floors. About the small plots, DC rules had already given provision about the congested plots in the draft development plan. There is no need to stretch. In addition, PMC had already taken stringent action and issued notices under the section 52 and 53 of MRTP act to habitual offenders," Pathak said.

Sudhir Kadam, executive engineer, Building and Construction, PMC, said, "We had to intensify the drive and notices had been issued to those who had violated the basic rules of construction and such notices are more than 300. With this legal back up, PMC had razed 52 illegal constructions totalling 1,97,300 sq-ft in the past 10 days. The action was taken at Taljai, Dhankawadi, Hadapsar, Kothrud, Janwadi, Kharadi, Kalas, Dhanori and Wadgaon Sheri."

Earlier, Chetan Tupe, Chairman, CIC, argued that PMC's action against illegal constructions was unjust to those who cannot afford big houses and unable to construct their own on small plots. On that line CIC had made a proposal to make changes in DC rules for the new DP and also include the provision to build houses on small plots. "Poor people build houses without the corporation's permission because they can't meet the civic norms or rules," he said.

According to Tupe, "There should be a provision to provide additional paid FSI of 40 per cent for constructions on small plots where 1.4 FSI will be permitted. Ground plus one or parking plus two floors can be constructed on these plots."

Yashwant Kanhere, retd deputy director Town Planning, Maharashtra, reacted on the CIC's new plan to legalise construction on small plots. He said, "This is nonsense, as CIC is trying to give a clean chit to those constructions which have been built on even less than 500 sq-ft area. The attempt will not favour law-abiding citizens.

Kanhere also warned the civic body to use section 52 and 53 of MRTP Act judicially. "They should not harm or punish an innocent person. This provision is an effective and strong legal warning only for law breakers," said Kanhere.

Continuing the demolition, PMC's anti-encroachment cell demolished two buildings of ground plus four floors and parking plus one floor totalling 10,000 sq-ft at Tukai Nagar in Hadapsar yesterday.u00a0

Building site collapse kills one, injures two
THE column of an under-construction building collapsed at Dange Chowk yesterday, killing a 22-year-old man and injuring two people. The incident took place near Bhoir hospital in the afternoon. The police said the deceased was a passer-by, Mahesh Gorakh Pande. They said he was on his way to work at a nearby bakery when the 10-feet-long and three-feet-broad cement column collapsed, killing him on the spot. The five-storey building is owned by Nandkishor and Sudhakar Bhoir. Construction labourers Gangaram Misak and Bholenath Misak were injured in the incident and admitted to a private hospital nearby.u00a0