Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation razes 279 buildings in one month

PUNE: After a high court rap, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) gave pace to its demolition drive in April razing 279 unauthorised constructions spread over an area of 2.79 lakh sq.ft.
Shirish Poredi, spokesperson of the PCMC engineering department, said that 65 buildings in Pavana riverbed and those located near Srishti Hotel chowk in Pimple Gurav, Kalewadi, Rahatni and Pimple Saudagar areas have been razed.A total of 18 constructions were demolished for widening the Pune-Alandi road. Another 39 buildings and three compound walls having a total area of 12,202 sq.ft were demolished for widening the Kalewadi Phata- Dehu Alandi Road.
Last Thursday, the PCMC razed two buildings in Jadhavwadi and Sonavanevasti, four in Nadhwnagar area of Kalewadi and a shed in Bhosari.
There are around 66,000 illegal constructions in Pimpri Chinchwad. The high court, while hearing a PIL had expressed its displeasure over the slow pace of the demolition drive in the past few months and directed the PCMC to conduct a demolition drive from April 1 with increased pace.