Pune : PMC issues notices to 30 properties for encroachments in green belt

Thirty businesses, including food joints and marriage lawns, operating in restricted green belt areas off DP Road in Karvenagar, have received anti-encroachment notices from the civic body, threatening to demolish them if they do not remove them.

These properties were established in violation of the green belt regulations, which prohibit the construction of any kind of residential or commercial buildings.

According to a senior Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) official, the businesses that have been notified to remove the encroachments should do so. The civic body will raze them if they don’t. There will soon be a demolition drive in these areas.

The civic administration conducted a significant anti-encroachment drive in these areas last year, tearing down illegal buildings covering more than 4 lakh square feet in a single day. Large restaurants were among the 68 establishments that were demolished. 

Concrete buildings, lawns, marriage halls, and kitchens positioned at the front and side edges of well-known eateries were all demolished. Approximately 200 civic staff, including members of the local ward offices, the PMC departments in charge of building permissions and anti-encroachment, and police personnel were part of this drive. These intrusions have reappeared, though.

Only construction and activities related to agriculture are permitted in the green zone, according to PMC officials. Nonetheless, landowners have built lawns, restaurants, and marriage halls—all of which are against local customs.

Civic officials stated that because many of the owners have filed lawsuits in opposition to notices served to them regarding this matter, PMC is finding it difficult to take legal action against these establishments.

Civic activists claimed that despite repeated efforts, encroachments continue because political leaders own the majority of the properties in question. They said that because of their political clout, PMC officials also have a tendency to overlook illegal constructions.

Maps for the red and blue lines have been drafted, according to civic officials. These are the man-made boundaries, drawn on paper for river areas taking floodlines and likelihood of flooding into consideration.

The space between two blue lines on either side of a river, such as the Mula-Mutha, is designated as the prohibited zone.

Construction restrictions have been imposed according to zones. There may be a garden, a playground, or a fruit and vegetable farm within the forbidden area. Public roads and sewage systems can be located in restricted zones, but there are height limitations.

These zones are surrounded by areas like Baner, Yerwada, Karvenagar, Deccan, Sangamwadi, and Sinhagad Road.