The Times of India       21.03.2014 

Corporators concerned about encroachment on open spaces

KOLHAPUR:
Members of the standing committee on Thursday asked the civic
administration to take steps to name the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation
(KMC) as the property owner of the 1,100 open spaces in the city, which
are increasingly facing the threat of encroachment.

Standing
committee chairman Sachin Chavan and corporators Subhash Ramugade,
Sangita Devekar and Satish Lolage complained that the 1,100 open spaces
reserved in the city have either been sold or face encroachments. Over
the years, the estate department has registered KMC’s name as the owner
in only 600 properties, Chavan said.

“The open space reserved
in Ward B was sold by the original owner since KMC failed to name itself
as the property owner. The delay in the transfer of property also
caused encroachment over the open space near Khare Mangal Karyalaya. The
KMC should initiate criminal action against the person who had sold the
open space,” members said.

The administration assured the
committee members that the encroachments would be removed immediately.
“We will ask the town planning, estate and other concerned departments
to coordinate and remove the encroachments,” administration said. “The
issue of the open space in ward B is sub judice and the administration
cannot comment on it. But when the owner requested for the permission to
sell the open space, KMC had rejected it,” administration
representatives told the committee.

Administration also told
the committee that it will present the report of the progress in
construction of the Keshavrao Bhosale natyagruha and Shahu Khasbaug
Maidan before the committee members.

Construction of sewage
treatment plant (STP) at Dudhali to process 17 million litres of waste
water each day has been stopped by contractor, administration told
member Mahesh Sawant. KMC has proposed to impose fine of Rs 10,000 each
day for the delay in the work over contractor, administration informed.

The project is in the pipeline for eight months despite the work order
being issued. However, the actual work could not start since several
technical sanctions were pending. Dudhali STP was scheduled to be
completed by June and now KMC is struggling to meet the deadline.

The project is important to curb the pollution of Rankala Lake as
sewage water from Sarnaik Vasahat, Old Vashi Naka, Sham Society and
Shivaji Peth will be collected by drainage pipeline from these areas and
carried to the Dudhali STP. Approximately, 2.5 MLD sewage water gets
discharged directly into the lake.