Another Kondhwa building razed

PUNE, April 21: The civic hammer fell on a four-storeyed building which blatantly flouted rules by encroaching on the proposed 60 ft Katraj-Kondhwa road at new survey number 33 today. The demolition took over five hours with the RCC construction yet to give way. The anti-encroachment squad however assured that the entire structure will be demolished by Thursday.

Anti-encroachment squad chief Gautam Waghchaure told media persons today that stop-work notice had been issued to Najmuddin Slatewala – owner of the building on October 16, 1997. A police complaint had also been lodged after the owner went ahead with the construction amounting to 12,000 sq ft at the junction of the proposed 60 ft road (as shown in the Regional Plan) and the 40 ft service road. The squad demolished eight shops at the ground floor while they also had to resort to using a compressor to demolish major portions of the building. Waghchaure said that the remaining work would be completed by tomorrow.

Last year, the Pune Municipal Corporation had carried out a similar action at Ashoka Mews in Kondhwa. On Monday, more illegal structures were brought down by the civic squad in the same area. Two huge illegal structures admeasuring more than 11,000 square feet were demolished. The anti-encroachment squad struck at Brahma Builders and Mayfair Builders.