DC releases list of Ramnadi encroachments

Ramnadi, August 2007:

Detailed survey, conducted jointly by the collectorate and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), has established that the developers had extended their plot areas by the filling up the river bed with rubble or soil.

"Encroachments in river beds cannot be allowed and these need to be removed. The law says that if a third party (flat owners) interest has been created, they (flat owners) can sue the builders by approaching the consumer forum," Prabhakar Deshmukh, District Collector, said.

“We will verify what maps were presented to us by the developers while seeking permission and what their affidavits say. If they have misrepresented the case, they will be penalized and also action will be taken against erring officers,” Deshmukh said.

"Many developers had undertaken the projects after verifying the land records and before going ahead with any action, they should be given a hearing. Also, no hasty action or announcement should be made under political pressure," Lalitkumar Jain, president of the Promoters and Builders Association of Pune (PBAP) DC releases list of Ramnadi encroachments-Pune-Cities-The Times of India

Ramnadi, July 2007:

Two dozen buildings constructed by prominent city builders stand on the Ramnadi river bed

“The layouts of these buildings were approved by the district collector and we (Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)) had no choice but to approve the building plans,” was the repeated reply given by civic officials led by development engineer S.K. Thorat.

“They have grabbed around three lakh square feet of land,” Vikas Mathkari, leader of the opposition and Corporator Ujjwal Keskar alleged.

Because of the encroachments 48 meters width of the Ramnadi is reduced to 20 meters

Elaborating on the nature of encroachments, Prabhakar Deshmukh, District Collector, said some were constructed properties while some were in the nature of land plots. "We have supplied the information to the PMC and asked the officials to identify owners of these encroachments."

"It is the civic body which prepares and approves the development plan (DP) and sends it to the state government. So there is no question of the district administration neglecting to mention the river status," the district collector said.

Major alterations were made by civic officials in the originally approved DP

1. Dereliction of duties
2. Negligence
3. Ignorance of the laws
4. The original Development Plan tampered with
5. Major alterations were made

City-based environmental organisations, including Parisar, Gomukh, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Centre for Development Studies and Activities (CDSA) and Centre for Environment Education, made charges against civic officials, irrigation department officials and the revenue department in the district collectorate.

Ramnadi, March 2004:

Pune Municipal Corporation would soon embark on a project to de-silt and beautify the Pashan lake

Municipal commissioner Sanjay Kumar, Corporators Tanaji Nimhan and Ramdas Kale, elected representatives from the Pashan and Aundh, civic garden department chief Y.S. Khaire, water department chief V.G. Kulkarni and mechanical department chief Uday Biniwale participated in the meeting.

While the mechanical department has been told to deploy its machinery to de-silt the lake, the garden department is expected to transport the silt to Aundh and use the same for the beautification of the Ramnadi (river) and its banks.

The Ramnadi, once the lifeline of Aundh, has now turned into a storm-water drain. So much so that newcomers to Aundh don’t even know that the river existed there once. As the Pashan lake has been lying unattended for several years now, the water department expects to excavate a large quantity of fine silt from it.

Kumar said de-silting would increase the water storage capacity of the lake, which was once used for supplying drinking water to Pashan and surrounding areas.

Nimhan and Kale suggested that the PMC should recondition the machinery at the Pashan water purification centre. This will enable the PMC to hold more water in the lake during the monsoons and supply purified water to Pashan, Someshwarwadi, Sutarwadi, Baner, Sus, Bavdhan and Balewadi areas.

Ramnadi, November 2003:

Pune Municipal Corporation has resolved to beautify the Ramnadi, which runs through Aundh and Pashan

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, local corporator Tanaji Nimhan said the PMC will spend Rs 2 crore on the river beautification plan, which also envisages developing a garden along the 20-km-long river bank.

President of Vanrai, Mohan Dharia, will lay the foundation stone for the project at a function to be held near the Pashan water treatment centre, off Pashan-Sutarwadi road, on November 2, Nimhan said.

The project assumes significance, considering the Ramnadi has turned into a sewage canal and garbage dump over the years. “In fact, many local residents are not even aware of the fact that a river exists in this area,” Nimhan said, adding the project would be completed within the next two years.
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