PMC’s Pre-Monsoon Mission Targets Unsafe Structures, Urges Repair or Demolition
As part of its mission to make the city safer ahead of the monsoon, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has served notices to 46 dilapidated wadas scattered across the Peth areas that have been marked as ‘dangerous’ since they pose a threat during the rains.
Pravin Shinde, executive engineer, PMC, said, “Every year, we carry out a survey of wadas and categorise them based on the conditions. As per last year’s survey, 46 dangerous Wadas still exist. We have now started serving fresh notices to these wadas. A team of engineers will carry out surveys and serve notices besides these 46 wadas.”
A senior official of the building permission and development department said, “Due to the Lok Sabha polls, the work may slow down till voting (mid-May). Thereafter, we will speed up demolition of the structures.”
The owners of these dangerous wadas have been advised to either repair or demolish them. If they fail to do so, the PMC will step in, demolish the structures, and recover the costs from the owners. Unfortunately, disputes between the owners and tenants often delay necessary repairs, putting lives at risk, especially during the monsoon season.
The PMC carries out inspections of dilapidated wadas every year with the help of private agencies. Last year, private agencies deputed to conduct the survey identified 141 dangerous wadas located in different Peth areas. Of these, 95 wadas were demolished by the PMC.
The state government had issued guidelines in 2015, providing certificates to tenants to maintain their claims on property in the dilapidated/demolished Wadas.
According to PMC officials, they provide extra Floor Space Index (FSI) and 50% incentive to developers for the redevelopment of wadas. The rate of wada redevelopment has increased after the introduction of the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulation (UDPCR), which offers developers more FSI for redevelopment.
