Violence mars PMC squad action

PUNE, May 21: A major anti-encroachment action of Pune Municipal Corporation PMC at Ambegaon Budruk on Thursday was marred by violence ...

PUNE, May 21: A major anti-encroachment action of Pune Municipal Corporation PMC at Ambegaon Budruk on Thursday was marred by violence as irate residents pelted stones at the anti-encroachment squad. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Anti-encroachment department chief Gautam Waghchaure said the a huge mob turned violent and indulged in stone pelting following a dispute between the PMC staff and the owner of a five-storied building over demarcations of the area which was to be cleared.

The demolition of the building could be resumed only after the policemen escorting the anti-encroachment department staff chased away the mob.

Though the civic body had pressed two excavators into service, the demolition could not be completed till late in the evening. A total of 28 police constables and their nine women counterparts were deployed to protect the PMC staff.

Gautam Waghchaure said Sambhaji Tukaram Beldare was constructing a five storied building at survey number 34/12 in Dattanagar area of AmbegaonBudruk without obtaining permission from any competent authority.

According to the Development Plan Rules the distance between two buildings should be 90 feet. However, Beldar had constructed the building at a distance of 40 feet from the adjoining structures, Waghchaure said.

The building admeasuring 60 feet x 60 feet had twenty flats of which four were already occupied for commercial purposes. The work of fixing tiles was on at the remaining flats.

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The decision of demolishing the building was taken after it was noticed that it was a major hurdle in widening of a 50 feet Regional Plan RP road linking Bharati Vidyapeeth with the Katraj-Dehu Road bypass. The civic body had issued notices to Beldar on September 11, 1997 and June 26, 1998, he added.

As per the plan, 50 feet wide stretch of building was required to be demolished. However, the civic officials decided to demolish the entire construction after noticing that the remaining structure may pose a major danger, according to Waghchaure.

A teamof 167 labourers led by Assistant Engineer Sanjiv Gondane went to demolish the building around 11 a.m. They had started demolishing some parts of the building when Beldar demanded that they should recheck the alignment of the road. A fresh survey was made however, its demarcations did not match those of the earlier survey.

A heated argument ensued between Beldar and the civic officials after the building owner insisted that they should compensate for the damages of the building. A mob gathered at the site started pelting stones at the PMC staff when the civic body officials refused to pay the compensation.