Pune: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation ( PCMC ) has begun a survey of constructions in blue flood line areas across the civic limits. Municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh has set a deadline of one week for completion of the survey following which the civic body will initiate a drive to demolish illegal structures . "We may start the drive later this week against illegal commercial structures in the first phase," Singh told TOI.
The municipal corporation cannot initiate action against residential structures during the monsoon as per the high court directives due to which illegal commercial structures identified in the blue flood line will be razed in the first phase, he said. The residential structures will also face action in the next phase once the monsoon is over. A senior PCMC official said that zonal offices have been directed to conduct a survey of the three rivers passing through PCMC limits and submit a detailed report on the matter.
Municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh on Wednesday held a meeting with officials of the Pimpri Chinchwad Police department and officials of PCMC's building permission department and anti-encroachment department to plan a demolition drive . "In the wake of floods reported in Pavana, Mula, and Indrayani rivers, a plan was prepared to demolish all structures in the blue flood line areas of the city. The Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner has also assured to make necessary security arrangements during the drive," a PCMC official said.
"We had started taking steps to plan a drive against the structures in blue flood line areas immediately after the chief minister's visit to the city," Singh said. CM Eknath Shinde had visited Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad to review the flood situation in the city earlier this month. It may be noted that three rivers flow through the jurisdiction of PCMC limits.
Pawana, which flows from the heart of Pimpri Chinchwad, covers a distance of 24.4 km, while Indrayani covers 20 km, and Mula river covers 14 km. The municipal corporation will also use drone images captured during the recent property survey to identify structures in blue flood line areas.
This, according to the municipal commissioner, will play an important role in the second line of verification after reports were submitted by the civic staff from zonal offices. "The drone images captured during the property survey will be matched with the flood line notification (shared by the irrigation department) and those structures built after the notification will face action," he said. He said that the civic body had not provided permission for new construction in the blue flood line areas after the notification was received from the irrigation department.
However, there may be some structures that were granted permission before the notification, and they will be protected. Earlier this year, the National Green Tribunal had directed PCMC to demolish 29 bungalows located in blue flood line zone of Indrayani river. The municipal corporation had demolished 17 structures in the blue flood line zone of Indrayani river.
Graphics: *The irrigation department had submitted flood line marking plans for Indrayani river in PCMC limits in 2009 Blue flood line will be the line marked at the water level of the highest discharge of: a) Flood discharge at the average frequency of 25 years b) One and a half times the discharge of the established riverbed Red flood line will be the line marked at the water level of the water discharge as under: a) Where there is no dam, flood discharge at average frequency of 100 years b) Where there is a dam, maximum flood discharge over the spillway added with flood discharge from free catchment area at an average frequency of 100 years *As per Unified Development Control & Promotion Regulations: Redevelopment of the existing authorised properties, within the riverbank and blue flood line, may be permitted at a plinth height of 0.45 m above the red flood line level.
