Pune: PCMC has intensified crackdown on under-construction structures built without approval from the building permission department.In the past 10 days, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) officials demolished over 20 such under-construction structures spread across 20,000sqft across the city. This includes under-construction structures where additional floors were being constructed without valid approval from the civic body.PCMC municipal commissioner had earlier this month told anti-encroachment officials to target illegal constructions in their early stages to prevent the need for demolition after completion. The civic body had faced criticism for demolishing 36 unauthorised bungalows built within the blue flood line of Indrayani river in Chikhali in May this year. Residents said that the officials had turned a blind eye when the structures were being constructed and came to demolish them a few years after their construction.A senior PCMC official said that beat inspectors had been told to identify new structures in their areas and validate if they were being constructed with permission. “If we find any new construction that is being carried out sans permission, the owners will be issued notices immediately and the structures demolished within 24 hours,” he said.He said currently action was not being taking against completed structures where people had already moved in as per Bombay High Court guidelines which restrict such actions during monsoon. “However, owners of these completed but unauthorised structures were served notices and given 30 days to remove illegal constructions in accordance with the MRTP Act,” he said, adding that the court’s restriction applies only to occupied structures, and action against under-construction illegal establishments was being taken without delay.Earlier this month, the civic body set up a dedicated vigilance squad to monitor its staffers and curb negligence in reporting or acting against new illegal constructions. The municipal commissioner warned of strict disciplinary action, including suspension, against any beat inspector or officer found guilty of inaction or deliberate oversight in such cases.The anti-encroachment department also took action against illegal slab crossings constructed over natural streams in Bhosari MIDC blocking the stormwater flow. “These unauthorised slab structures, spread across a 500-metre stretch, were not only illegal but also hampered nullah cleaning operations, leading to flooding in the area last month,” a civic official said.
