Senior officials may claim that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is keeping a close watch on encroachments on the 23 river basins of the city,but the civic body has failed to provide a list of such encroachments under the Right to Information Act (RTI),2005. Activist Anoop Awasthy,who had filed an RTI application seeking a list of such encroachments on natural water courses in the 23 river basin areas in Pune early this year,is yet to get a response. Encroachments along the natural water courses across the city has given rise to urban flooding. In particular,areas like Kothrud,Baner,Bavdhan,Pashan and other areas,lying at the foothills,have been witnessing an increase in such activities. In 2009,flash floods in the Ramnadi,in Bavdhan and Devnadi in Baner had caused havoc along the shores. Awasthy,in his application,had sought details of survey numbers along the rivers,the building permissions given on those survey numbers,and the completion certificates issued. Also,his application had sought details of encroachments on the 23 river basins of the city. My application was made in January and till date I have not received any reply. Also,I had personally written a mail to Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Pathak,drawing his attention to the same,but he has also not replied to me, he said. The river basins in question were surveyed by a private company,which had mapped and plotted the various water courses there. The contour maps of the basins prepared by it were to be used as the base map for the nala improvement work to be undertaken later. Additional City Engineer Vivek Kharwadkar said the survey had pointed out the encroachments,but the official website of the PMC did not have the report,though the survey maps had been put online. Member of Baner Area Sabha Anupam Saraph said the issue of encroachments along water courses was being skirted by the PMC in order to safeguard the interests of builders. Encroachments in the form of boundary walls,constructions have come up along the water bodies across the river basins. The survey conducted by the private body found reduced length of the water courses in many areas, he said.
