PMC may restrict construction in areas sans infrastructure
Sakaal Times: In a major attempt to bring down the pressure of water supply to the rapidly growing city, especially in the fringe villages, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is seriously considering not to issue any building permission in areas where it has not yet set up adequate civic infrastructure.
Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade, who had to face the wrath of residents from Warje Malewadi, led by their MP Supriya Sule over acute water shortage in the area, said he was surprised to know how residential colonies had mushroomed in the area even before the PMC could put in place the basic facilities to sustain residents.
“I am not sure conditional permissions for constructing buildings can work in the future,” Zagade warned, adding that fringe areas presented the biggest challenges for the PMC. “Most of these areas witness absolutely unplanned growth, with people there consuming fantastic FSIs of five to six. This results in high density of population, raising the demand for basic amenities to unmanageable proportion,” he said.
Supriya insisted the municipal corporation come out with a time-bound programme to resolve the water crisis in her constituency and managed to extract a commitment from the commissioner that he would ensure adequate supply of water tankers until a long-term solution is worked out and implemented.
In a shocking revelation, residents in the area said that while the corporation forever put up lame excuses regarding its inability to supply tankers in proportion to the demand in the area, corporators too held them to ransom insisting that they book the tankers only through their offices.
“So if the corporator did not wish a particular pocket to receive water tankers, he could simply call up the Pune Municipal Corporation and block it,” the residents said.
Most residents in the areas affiliated to the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, which fall under Pune Municipal Corporation jurisdiction, said that illegal connections were a major concern in the area.
“Everyone knows about it, but no one does anything,” the residents said, wanting to know why the corporation had not lodged a single criminal complaint against the violators.
MP Supriya Sule managed to extract a commitment from the municipal commissioner that he would ensure adequate supply by water tankers for Baramati, which falls under PMC jurisdiction, until a long-term solution was worked out.
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