Pune: Taking tough stands against illegal encroachments, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) demolished a total of 607 illegal constructions in the Chikhali Kudalwadi area. These included warehouses, factories, unauthorised sheds, and scrap shops, among others. The demolition was conducted by PCMC’s Building Permission and Unauthorised Construction Control Department.
While these demolitions were done on the second day, the authorities demolished as many as 222 constructions, spreading across 42 acres, covering more than 1.8 million square feet of area. According to the Pune Mirror, officers who were part of the operations included Additional Commissioner Pradeep Jambhale Patil, Deputy Commissioner Manoj Lonkar, City Engineer Makarand Nikam, Executive Engineer Sunil Bagwani, Regional Officer Ajinkya Yele, apart from sub-engineers and junior engineers.
Police maintained strict security
Strict security was maintained by the police led by Additional Police Commissioner Vasant Pardeshi, Deputy Police Commissioner Swapna Gore, and Dr. Shivaji Pawar. The squad also included 16 sub-engineers and 600 police officers, among others. Along with them, three fire engines and two ambulances were also present at the site at the time of the demolitions.
Speaking about the development, Pradeep Jambhale Patil, Additional Commissioner, said, “Factories, Unauthorised sheds, warehouses, and scrap shops on reserved land have been demolished in various blocks. The actions by officials will continue for some time. The people with materials or machinery are requested to remove them at the earliest and cooperate with the officials.”
Over 1,500 illegal constructions have been demolished so far
According to mypunepulse.com, while 1,511 illegal constructions have been demolished so far, 120.72 lakh square feet have been cleared. The operation began after a deadline was issued to businessmen asking them to remove unauthorized constructions themselves.
During the entire operation, authorities were not only careful not to harm anybody, but animals, including 50 cats, were also rescued from a building. These casts were left behind by their owners, officials added.
