Rockfall hits Taljai Society; Citizens demand urgent attention from authorities

Loose boulders, soil, and several trees tumbled into Kshitij society in Sahakarnagar on the foothills of Taljai Hills after heavy rainfall on June 13. In this incident, no injuries were reported however multiple parked vehicles suffered damage.

19 June 2024

Pune- Loose boulders, soil, and several trees tumbled into the society in Sahakarnagar after a spell of heavy rainfall at 4 PM on June 13. Following the incident, the residents of Kshitij society, on the foothills of Taljai Hill wrote to authorities including Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Forest Department, and sought urgent attention from them.

The environmentalists think the incident is a direct consequence of permitting construction on hilltop and hill slope zones, which they had tried opposing 24 years ago. According to a resident, similar incidents have happened in the past since 2004. Rocks often fall onto society and damage property. However, this was the biggest instance of all. No injuries have been reported but it does not change the fact that preventive measures must be taken immediately.

An environmentalist specified that PMC should be held responsible and should take steps to rectify their mistake by installing mesh to prevent rocks from falling. As many as 80,000 citizens had opposed building permissions given to such complexes, especially on the Taljai hilltop and hill slope zone in 2000. It is also clearly stated in PMC’s development plan that all hilltop, hill slope zones, and biodiversity parks (BDPs) around Pune will have no developments on them. However, the civic body has given building permissions without verification and now the residents are suffering the consequences.

On the other hand, PMC officials mentioned that they have always instructed developers to pay heed to environmental aspects before approving building permissions near hills. They must follow the precautionary steps suggested by PMC when carrying out construction activities in such areas. Though the administration had put restrictions on properties in BDPs, hilltop, and hill slope zones, the area near Taljai Hill was not mentioned therefore, it slipped government scrutiny.

The building permissions department has approached the forest authorities to cut the rocks and take the required measures to ensure residents’ safety. However, Velankar argued that PMC should ensure that no cutting of hills or further developmental activity occurs in this region to avoid a repeat of this incident.

The PMC along with the Pune forest division officials visited the site with MLA Madhuri Misal on Monday. The deputy conservator of forests Mahadev Mohite stated that they have told the corporation to clear all dangerous and loose rocks located close to Kshitij society’s wall that could be potential threats. PMC wants forest land to reduce the slope of the hill near the building as a long-term measure. A proposal for diversion needs to be sent from PMC officials under the Forest Conservation Act. The PMC officials will primarily carry out stone removal work and then a proposal for the construction of a safety wall will be made. If forest land is required for the construction, it will be verified by forest officials as well.