Issue of illegal constructions in focus at PCMC

PUNE: Even as the general body of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) pressurises the civic administration to demolish illegal constructions in Pimpri camp, it continues to hesitate over giving permission to the civic administration to refer the matter of illegal constructions of 23 corporators to the court.
During the general body (GB) meeting on Monday, corporators had insisted that the civic administration demolish immediately an illegal construction built by a trader in Pimpri camp.
The civic administration conducted an anti-encroachment drive on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning but had to abandon it after the Pimpri court directed that the status quo be maintained.
The civic administration has been demanding that the municipal commissioner be granted permission to refer the matter of the illegal constructions of 23 corporators to the court so that the disqualification process can be initiated. Former municipal commissioner Dilip Band on July 18, 2008 had sent the first proposal to the GB to seek this permission.
But he was denied permission and the proposal was kept pending every time it was tabled for discussion. Even after Ashish Sharma took over as commissioner the GB on June 3 decided to keep it pending for one year!
When contacted, party leaders did not comment about action against these illegal constructions.
Independent corporator Maruti Bhapkar said, "Civic officials should have machinery to detect illegal constructions when they are being built and demolish them rather than wake up after they are completed."
Manav Kamble, founder of the Nagrik Hakka Suraksha Samiti said, "The Mayor's action ordering that the give illegal construction in Pimpri camp be demolished was a gimmick. The civic administration is guilty of shielding the illegal constructions of influential people."
Commenting on the issue, Sulabha Ubale, group leader of the Shiv Sena corporators said, "The law that is applicable to the common man should be also applicable to corporators. Many illegal constructions in the municipal limits have been served notices by the civic administration but no action has been taken against them."
Commenting on the administration's failure in demolishing the illegal construction in Pimpri, mayor Aparna Doke said, "The administration tried to demolish the construction but could not complete the work as the court ordered to maintain status quo."
On the GB's move to keep the proposal to seek the court's directives about the 23 illegal constructions pending for a year, she said that the decision was taken after considering the views of all the corporators.
Criticising the administration, Azam Pansare, president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and corporator said, "The administration does not take firm action to control the spread of illegal constructions. Encroachments have also come up along the nullahs but no action has been taken".
"We are for regularising small unauthorised constructions of the people under the gunthewari system but other constructions that obstruct developmental projects should be removed," said Pansare.
Congress corporator Amar Mulchandani who had raised the subject of the illegal construction in Pimpri at the GB meeting on Monday said, "I will meet the municipal commissioner on Thursday and hand over a letter to him demanding inquiry into why the demolition could not be conducted faster."