Pune: A survey has deemed around 100 decades-old buildings in the Camp area structurally unsafe — unfit for habitation and vulnerable to collapse — with the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) directing owners to submit redevelopment plans.The dilapidated properties are concentrated in the older parts of the cantonment, including Dastur Meher Road, Sachapir Street, Bacchu Adda, Old Modikhana and several adjoining lanes and bylanes.Officials said the weakened structures pose a threat to occupants and pedestrians, particularly during the ongoing monsoon, and have been identified as hazardous. The board has issued notices to several owners, telling them to vacate the properties and initiate redevelopment to prevent loss of life.PCB officiating executive engineer Vijay Chavan told TOI: “We have issued notices to property owners directing them to vacate the buildings for their own safety. They have been told that they will be held responsible if any untoward incident occurs due to the collapse of the structures.”“We have also communicated to the owners that they submit plans to redevelop the old properties into safe residential buildings. The objective is to ensure that residents are no longer living in dangerous structures,” he said.PCB officials said there are about 260 such properties, of which nearly 100 had been classified as unsafe following a structural survey. Most of the said constructions were built using mud, mortar and timber.Meanwhile, residents and civic activists alleged that the PCB had failed to address the issue over several years despite the deteriorating condition of the buildings.Activist Murtuza Poonawala said, “Every year, during monsoon, the board issues notices to property owners and publishes public advisories telling people to take precautions. It reflects a lethargic approach. We have repeatedly urged the board to take concrete steps to demolish dangerous structures and ensure public safety, but nothing substantial has happened over years.”PCB’s former vice-president Priyanka Shirgiri said only a few buildings had undergone redevelopment, while most continued to remain in a precarious condition. “If renovation is not possible, the owners should at least do basic repairs. Only a handful of such structures have undergone repairs over the last five years. The majority continues to remain in extremely hazardous conditions. It is risky for the common people of the Camp area,” she said.PCB officials said redevelopment had been delayed largely because of disputes between landlords and tenants. They said many tenants continue to occupy the old buildings under legacy tenancy arrangements, paying rents as low as Rs2 to Rs10 per month.A senior engineering department official said, “Tenants will have to pay rents based on prevailing market rates, once the buildings are redeveloped. It is one of the main reasons many redevelopment proposals face resistance, making it difficult for the board to resolve the matter.”“With the monsoon intensifying, redevelopment or repairs is the only immediate and long-term solution to eliminate the risk posed by these old houses,” added Shirigiri.
