The Times of India              28.06.2013

PCMC serves evacuation notices on owners of 76 buildings

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation ( PCMC) has served evacuation notices to owners of 76 dilapidated buildings.

Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said, "The civic body is conducting a survey of buildings which have become dangerous and may collapse causing loss of life and property."

Pardeshi said civic officials have been directed to concentrate on four types of buildings - the ones with weak foundation due to floods; those which can be washed away in floods, the ones constructed on debris dumped in the riverbed or nullahs and the buildings which have been constructed in a short span.

"The buildings located in the riverbed and along the nullahs are being checked. Some of the buildings are single-storied structures or chawls, but we are concentrating on multi-storied buildings which may lead to mishaps," Pardeshi said.

The civic administration has found that a compound wall of a housing society in Wakad had tilted, thus becoming dangerous. City engineer MT Kamble has been directed to conduct a spot visit and take necessary action, Pardeshi said.

Meanwhile, the civic administration demolished a dilapidated building in Akurdi.

A 13-year-old school student was killed and four of his friends were injured after the compound wall of Saint Paul's church at Kalewadi in Pimpri caved in on June 15. It is learnt that the church building too has become dangerous. Pardeshi said, "A notice board has been put up at the church cautioning people not to use the building for any purpose. Around 100 people gather at the church for Sunday prayers, which may lead to a big mishap."

When contacted, Shirish Poreddy, spokesperson of the engineering department, "Cracks have developed in the Church building. We have served a notice to the church officials and directed them to submit a structural stability certificate if they feel that the building is safe."