Pune Municipal Corporation To Demolish Illegal Construction Near Pune Air Force Station’s Bomb Dump

Pune, 13th July 2023: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is gearing up to demolish an unauthorized RCC structure measuring 20m by 10m that has been erected on a 200sqm plot of land within the restricted zone, situated within 900m from the weapon storage area (bomb dump) of the Pune Air Force Station in Lohegaon.

The request for demolition was made by the officer in charge of the land management cell at the Indian Air Force station (AFS), Pune, who wrote to the PMC on July 4. The structure in question consists of RCC columns raised on a plinth.

According to the AFS letter, a routine inspection revealed that illegal construction was taking place near the weapon storage area (bomb dump) at survey number 135/1 and 135/2 in Forest Park phase 1, falling within the restricted zone of 900m from the outer parapet of the AFS Pune boundary wall.

The letter further stated, “Construction of houses/buildings/planting of trees is illegal within the restricted zone of 100/900m from the outer parapet of the AFS Pune boundary wall, as per the public notice issued by the district collector, Pune, on April 9, 2008.”

This incident follows a similar occurrence on September 30, 2022, when the PMC demolished two buildings within the restricted zone, prompted by an earlier notice from the AFS.

Eknath Gadekar, Deputy Engineer of the PMC’s building development department, explained that a notice was issued at the site on July 10, instructing the landowners to demolish the structure within 24 hours as they had not obtained any permissions from the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Regulations and the Maharashtra Municipal Regulations. Since no action was taken within the given timeframe, the PMC will proceed with the demolition on Friday.

PMC officials have cautioned the public against purchasing land plots within the restricted zone of the AFS. There are multiple land pockets across 17 survey numbers in the vicinity of the bomb dump in Lohegaon, as per official reports.

Gadekar emphasized that the PMC works in coordination with the air force authorities to monitor construction activities within the restricted survey numbers. Following the guidelines, the PMC strictly prohibits any construction within the restricted zone and urges individuals to adhere to the district collector’s guidelines issued in 2008.

A senior PMC official revealed, “Many private landowners have divided the land into plots and have been selling them over the past few years, without disclosing the restrictions to the buyers. Problems arise when the buyers initiate construction on such plots, leading to necessary action by the authorities.”