Indian Express 11.03.2010
Police get civic body to pull down illegal structures near German Bakery
Tarun Nangia Tags : encroachment, corporation Posted: Thursday , Mar 11, 2010 at 0453 hrs
Police commissioner Satyapal Singh, soon after the Germany Bakery blast, had said that the bakery itself had encroached on the road to set up its sitting area. On Wednesday, Singh told The Indian Express that the anti-encroachment drive now needs to go beyond Koregaon Park.
“It is good that the PMC has finally removed the encroachments. The law should prevail. In fact, the PMC should remove encroachments all over the city. Even in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the civic body should initiate action. We are willing to extend all help to PMC and PCMC if the two civic bodies undertake such a drive,” Singh said.
While Pune Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagade could not be contacted for his comments as he was busy with the general body meeting, Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Asheesh Sharma said, “We keep undertaking such anti-encroachment drives. We will take action if police commissioner recommends.”
Police Inspector M G Pathan, who was in charge of security when the PMC staff removed the encroachments, said, “ Encroachments on 2-km stretch of North Main Road were removed. Officials of the anti-encroachment department started work around 11 am and completed their task by 5 pm. Encroachments on the by-lanes of Koregaon Park, particularly lane no. 7, were also removed. Owners of these establishments cooperated with the police making the operation trouble-free. “
Pathan said that the sitting areas of many eateries in Koregaon Park were on encroached land, mostly public space. All this was giving rise to traffic congestion, he said.
Manoj Patil, DCP, Traffic, said this was a move long overdue as the areas of Mundhwa, around ABC Farm, Kalyani Nagar and Wadgaonsheri have witnessed a lot of construction activity — commercial and residential. “There are two routes to reach these areas — one via Ghorpadi which motorists avoid due to the railway crossing. This leads to the entire traffic load falling on the other route via Koregaon Park especially the North Main Road,” said Patil.
Inspector Suhas Nadgauda of the Bund Garden police station said they had sent a letter to the PMC a week after the blast asking them to remove the encroachments in Koregaon Park. “Finally, the officers have paid heed to our request,” said Nadgauda.
