The Times of India    27.07.2012

 PUNE: The civic administration will soon remove nearly 500 unauthorized constructions built after April 1 2012 and identified by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said, "The civic administration is firm on action against unauthorized constructions. They have been divided into four categories. We will take action against them in phases. In the first phase, action will be taken against constructions in the rivers' floodline areas and those which are on plots reserved in the development plan."Maruti Vanjari, a citizen from Pimpri-Chinchwad, had filed a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) in the Bombay high court last year about unauthorized constructions.The court had directed the civic body to take action against such constructions and set six months for the action. The civic body later asked for a six-month extension.

Meanwhile, the civic body sent a proposal to the state government demanding that the unauthorized constructions be regularised like they have been in Ulhasnagar. When this proposal was rejected, another was sent which is pending. The government has directed the civic body not to allow any new unauthorised constructions in the city.Since the last two months, a series of drives were carried out by the civic administration for removal of unauthorized constructions. Last week, many corporators made a demand that the civic administration seek fresh directives from the state government about action against unauthorized constructions. They plan to meet deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.All the three MLAs from Pimpri-Chinchwad staged a dharna in Mumbai demanding that unauthorized constructions before March 31, 2012 be regularized. The general body meeting on July 20 was adjourned to support the MLAs.