Residents demand separate hearing from Parrikar
Want restrictions to be reduced to 270 m; cite rules of storage and transport panel sought under RTI.
Dehu road Cantonment Board
With the Dehu Road red zone issue pending for the last three years, activists have now demanded a separate meeting with the defence minister to resolve the matter, which is affecting more than 50,000 households in the area. The move comes after activists from the area received information under RTI that the Dehu Road red zone needs to put restrictions on only 270 metres instead of 2,000 yards (1,860 meters).
“The information was sought under RTI last year and it clearly states the rules of storage and transport committee that the limits should be measured from the wall of the ordnance depot building where the explosives are stored and not from the centre of the ammunition dump. The committee said that notifications for the Dehu Road and Dighi red zones were issued under Works of Defence Act, 1903, and the red zone limits should be reduced to 270 metres, and not even 500 metres,” said activist Sudam Taras, who has been fighting the red zone issue since 2013, when the notification was intimated to the residents.
Last year, there was a spate of meetings with Maval and Shirur MPs, and even with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar regarding the issue, but no final order was given in writing even as he has assured to look into the matter. The MPs, in their assurance, had promised that the limit would be reduced from 2,000 yards to 500 metres.
Created under the Works of Defence Act, 1903, the red zone is a no-development zone around defence establishments like ammunition depots and factories to prevent any damage to human life and property in the event of a mishap at these establishments.
The 2,000 yard red zone was marked to create a no-development zone outside its boundaries. This area covers parts of Dehu Road cantonment, PCMC and Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority limits, affecting as many as 50,000 houses in the areas.
Residents who have demanded a meeting have also put forth a draft gazette published on December 26, 2002, which showed the affected areas under the red zone of 2,000 yards around the entire depot instead of the proposed 500-600 yards on two sides, and they feel that there needs to be a change in the same.
With the proposal of restrictions going to the district administration, it claimed to have conducted a survey and recce of the land, but said that the actual measurement and maps would incur a cost which has to be borne by the defence authorities.
“We have already written to them to bear the cost for measurement and maps, but there has been no response yet. The revenue department too has stated that it is defence authorities who have to bear the cost,’’ said a senior official from the revenue branch.
The administration had put in their report that defence authorities would have to bear the estimated expense of Rs 7 crore for the entire demarcation process, including Rs 43 lakh for construction of a boundary.
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