Pune:Illegal constructions in Pimpri Chinchwad that cannot be regularised under existing rules will face demolition, while those eligible for regularisation would be covered under the govt’s amnesty scheme, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.Reviewing the issue with municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi on Thursday, Bawankule said the action is necessary to prevent homebuyers from losing their hard-earned money to unauthorised properties.The minister said the govt would follow an approach similar to the one adopted in Nagpur, where around 3,900 properties had previously been declared illegal. “Properties that can be regularised will be covered under the amnesty scheme. However, those that can never be regularised will face demolition, irrespective of their size or extent,” Bawanule said.“Developers in Pimpri-Chinchwad are selling unauthorised structures to common people, who invest their hard-earned money and later face severe problems. Some structures are built in such a way that they can never be regularised. The issue of illegal constructions appears to be widespread in Pimpri-Chinchwad,” Bawankule said.The meeting came days after PCMC sent a list of unauthorised structures to the inspector general of registration (IGR), requesting that fresh transactions involving these properties not be registered to prevent more people from purchasing them.The civic administration is also planning to restrict basic utilities to unauthorised properties. Suryawanshi said PCMC will soon write to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) to request that new electricity connections be denied to these structures. Civic officials have also been instructed to ensure that unauthorised properties are not granted new water connections.“It has been reported that some high-rise buildings are being developed in the city and then sold to common people. It becomes difficult to act once people move in. Hence, civic officials have been asked to ensure that illegal structures that are currently vacant are demolished on priority, following due procedure,” Bawankule told TOI.He noted the crackdown would also cover illegally constructed commercial properties, including showrooms. Structures that comply with floor space index (FSI) or unified development control and promotion regulations (UDCPR) provisions, making them eligible for regularisation, can be considered under the applicable rules.The list of unauthorised properties includes structures within the red zone around Dehu Road ordnance depot in Talawade, constructions falling within blue flood lines along rivers, and properties affected by rules applicable to the erstwhile Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority (PCNDTA).Suryawanshi said some properties lacked the required permissions but were still transferred to PCMC following the merger of PCNDTA. The list also includes illegal constructions on Gunthewari plots and structures built without necessary approvals.Bawankule said he would soon hold a separate meeting to chalk out a broader action plan against illegal constructions across Pimpri-Chinchwad.
