Third hotelier held for violating DC norms

PUNE, May 13: Seventeen days after the Pune Municipal Corporation lodged criminal complaints against seven illegal construction, the Decc...

PUNE, May 13: Seventeen days after the Pune Municipal Corporation lodged criminal complaints against seven illegal construction, the Deccan Gymkhana police arrested a hotelier for violating the development control rules and FSI norms.

Hotel Shivam Jungli Maharaj Road owner Ramesh Prataprao Shirole was arrested and slapped under the relevant sections of Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act on Thursday morning.

Shirole is the third hotelier arrested for encroachment since April 24. On April 24, the Bund Garden police had arrested the Dnyaneshwar Kharuse, owner of German Bakery located in Koregaon Park. Abraham Kanangara, owner of Hotel Guruprit, also located in Koregaon Park, was arrested on May 3.

He was produced before a Judicial Magistrate First Class who granted him a bail. Shirole is facing charges of violating the DC rules and misusing land, according to Ram Kondhalkar, inspector in-charge of Deccan Gymkhana police station.

Deccan Gymkhana police had filed cases against the owners of Hotel Shivam, Hotel Shivsagar, Hotel Sapna, Hotel Chinar, Hotel Vaishali, Hotel Swagat and Hotel Aditya after Pune Municipal Corporation lodged complaints against them on April 26.

The owners of Hotel Shivsagar and Hotel Swagat are facing charges of reconstructing illegal structures after their encroachments were demolished by the civic body. The owners of the other hotels have been accused of having misused land.

Inspector Kondhalkar said the police were still questioning five of the seven hoteliers.

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The owners of Hotel Shivsagar and Hotel Aditya were not available for questioning as they have gone out of station, he added.

The PMC officials have filed criminal cases against several persons involved in violating DC rules and FSI norms in the wake of the directives by Municipal Commissioner Arun Bhatia that action should be taken against encroachments as per the provisions made under relevant sections of the MRTP Act.