Pune Municipal Corporation Allegedly Ignores Court Order, Demolishes Shed in Koregaon Park, Complains Resident

In a controversial move, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Building Permission Department (Zone 4) has been accused of ignoring a court order by demolishing an iron shed in Koregaon Park. The shed, located in the 61 Guntha area of Plot 405, had a stay order from the district court against its demolition.

Uday Kotnis, the occupier of the premises, claims the PMC acted in favor of a prominent builder. Kotnis alleges that despite presenting the stay order to senior police officers, the demolition proceeded. The occupants were detained at the police station until the action was completed.

Yogendra Sonawne, PMC officer denied all accusations and has asked to meet in the court.
On the other hand, Uday Kotnis said, “On 3rd June we got a notice to clear our area, on 4th June we requested PMC officers, Pune commissioner to look into the notice again as the construction was legal.” He moreover accused the PMC officers and said that they said that court orders won’t be followed we will demolish if we get notice from above.”

The PMC justified its actions by citing orders from their superiors. They destroyed all structures on the 61 Guntha property owned by Garav Kavade and Radhabai Kavade. This incident is part of a broader crackdown by the municipal corporation on unauthorized constructions in Koregaon Park, Mundhwa, Viman Nagar, and Kalyani Nagar.
The Zone 4 office of PMC had issued a notice on December 31, 2020, regarding illegal construction on Plot 405. The plaintiff filed a suit in the municipal court against this notice. After the court’s verdict, PMC took immediate action. However, the plaintiff obtained a stay order for new unauthorized constructions, including hotels.

Citizens had filed complaints about these new structures, citing a lack of fire prevention measures and parking facilities. Following legal consultations, PMC issued a notice to the newly developed constructions. The illegal hotel operations caused traffic jams, prompting PMC to take action on Wednesday. The demolition was carried out with police support using jaw-cutters, excavators, and other modern tools, as informed by the Building Permission Department.