Pimpri-Chinchwad: Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) Slum Development Department cracked down hard on illegal encroachment on Thursday. The drive, part of the civic body's overall target to eradicate all illegal encroachment constructions in the city, was conducted in the Wakad-Tathawade area along the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway's Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass section.
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A total of 43 slums were removed in this action, with 38,750 sq ft of encroachment cleared that was obstructing an 18-meter road reserved in the development plan (DP) of PCMC.
This action was carried out under the guidance of PCMC Commissioner and Administrator Shekhar Singh, Additional Commissioner Pradeep Jambhale Patil, and City Engineer Makarand Nikam. The operation was led by Deputy Commissioner Anna Bodde of the Slum Development Department and Assistant Commissioner Atul Patil of the Anti-Encroachment Department. Executive Engineers Sunil Shinde and Rajendra Shinde, along with other officials and staff, also participated in the drive.
The PCMC’s operation at Survey No. 124/1 in Kalakhadak, Wakad, targeted 43 slums located along a 200-meter-long and 18-meter-wide stretch of road, which is part of the approved development plan adjoining the slum rehabilitation scheme. This road extends from Bhumkar Chowk, Wakad, to the Tathawade boundary. The action was a joint effort by the D Ward Office's officials and PCMC's Civil, Slum Development, Town Planning, Electrical, Anti-Encroachment, and Fire departments, as well as the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF). During the operation, the unauthorised slums and brick constructions were removed with the help of four excavators, four JCBs, six dumpers, and 20 labourers.
PCMC has taken removing encroachment very seriously to solve the long-standing traffic problems in the city. PCMC Chief Shekhar Singh had stated a few months ago, when the action was being taken in the Chikhali-Kudalwadi area, that this action would be conducted throughout the city.
Pimpri-Chinchwad city, with a population of over 30 lakh residents, always experiences problems of traffic congestion, encroachment, and illegal unauthorised constructions. Since the last few months, this campaign has been ongoing. With this, the PCMC administration hopes to solve some infrastructural issues within their jurisdiction.
PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh said, "Strict action is being taken against unauthorised constructions that obstruct the implementation of PCMC’s development plans and public amenities. The encroachments hindering the 18-metre road in the Wakad-Tathawade area have been cleared. Work on the road will be started immediately, which will help reduce traffic congestion in the area."
