The Times of India 13.12.2010
PCMC to pull down illegal structures with police help
PUNE: Weighed down by encroachments on plots reserved for civic amenities in the development plan, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will take the help of the police to remove them.
Growing urbanisation and rapid expansion of Pimpri-Chinchwad has spawned many encroachments. The civic body's survey, conducted a few months ago, has revealed that there are over 15,000 encroachments on 1,119 lands reserved in the DP.
Of the total 15,058 encroachments, 5,952 are on plots already acquired. The remaining 8,511 stand on land that has to be acquired. The PCMC has taken measures to prevent new encroachments and now wants the police to help remove the rest.
Special beat officers have been appointed to report any new encroachment. These beat inspectors at the ward level monitor any land-grabbing coming up in their areas. Municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma said all information about the encroachments has been given to the police department. "Beat officers have now been given specific areas, and have been assigned the task to report new encroachments," he added.
The civic body already has 21 police personnel including a police inspector, two sub-inspectors, and constables are working with the anti-encroachment department. Citizens also complain about land-grabbing in their areas. Minor encroachments are removed at the zonal level. The big ones have to be removed by the engineering department.
Corporators and civic activists have blamed the civic administration for not taking effective measures to preventing the encroachments. Sulabha Ubale, leader of Shiv Sena corporators, said that the civic body had no plan to effectively tackle the growing problem. "The PCMC should increase manpower and machinery of anti-encroachment department. It pays the salaries of the policemen deputed for the squad but it is not able to fully utilise their services to remove the encroachments. The beat officers are not effective. Moreover, there is no action even if the civic body is informed about the new encroachments coming up in various areas. Zonal officers have been assigned the task to take action against encroachments but they are not effective in controlling the encroachments," she said.
Another Shiv Sena leader Ashok Sonavane said, "The civic body should have acquired the plots reserved in the DP soon after it was approved. But it has neglected this work and now there are encroachments on reserved plots. There is no proper plan to develop the reservations in a time-bound manner. The civic anti-encroachment squad is ineffective in taking action against the encroachments."
Manav Kamble, president of Nagari Hakka Suraksha Samiti said, "Encroachments are not good for the safety of the city. The anti-encroachment squad should remove the encroachments when they are in the initial stages of construction. This will reduce public anger which increases when constructions are complete and occupied by people. The local corporator, zonal officer and city engineer should be held responsible for the encroachments in a ward."
Growing urbanisation and rapid expansion of Pimpri-Chinchwad has spawned many encroachments. The civic body's survey, conducted a few months ago, has revealed that there are over 15,000 encroachments on 1,119 lands reserved in the DP.
Of the total 15,058 encroachments, 5,952 are on plots already acquired. The remaining 8,511 stand on land that has to be acquired. The PCMC has taken measures to prevent new encroachments and now wants the police to help remove the rest.
Special beat officers have been appointed to report any new encroachment. These beat inspectors at the ward level monitor any land-grabbing coming up in their areas. Municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma said all information about the encroachments has been given to the police department. "Beat officers have now been given specific areas, and have been assigned the task to report new encroachments," he added.
The civic body already has 21 police personnel including a police inspector, two sub-inspectors, and constables are working with the anti-encroachment department. Citizens also complain about land-grabbing in their areas. Minor encroachments are removed at the zonal level. The big ones have to be removed by the engineering department.
Corporators and civic activists have blamed the civic administration for not taking effective measures to preventing the encroachments. Sulabha Ubale, leader of Shiv Sena corporators, said that the civic body had no plan to effectively tackle the growing problem. "The PCMC should increase manpower and machinery of anti-encroachment department. It pays the salaries of the policemen deputed for the squad but it is not able to fully utilise their services to remove the encroachments. The beat officers are not effective. Moreover, there is no action even if the civic body is informed about the new encroachments coming up in various areas. Zonal officers have been assigned the task to take action against encroachments but they are not effective in controlling the encroachments," she said.
Another Shiv Sena leader Ashok Sonavane said, "The civic body should have acquired the plots reserved in the DP soon after it was approved. But it has neglected this work and now there are encroachments on reserved plots. There is no proper plan to develop the reservations in a time-bound manner. The civic anti-encroachment squad is ineffective in taking action against the encroachments."
Manav Kamble, president of Nagari Hakka Suraksha Samiti said, "Encroachments are not good for the safety of the city. The anti-encroachment squad should remove the encroachments when they are in the initial stages of construction. This will reduce public anger which increases when constructions are complete and occupied by people. The local corporator, zonal officer and city engineer should be held responsible for the encroachments in a ward."
