PMC unable to allot houses to flash flood-affected families

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has expressed its inability to rehabilitate 26 flash flood affected families. Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad wrote a letter to the Standing Committee, pointing out that the flood affected families are not project-affected. As per Development Plan (DP), PMC will have the right to rehabilitate only project-affected families. 

In December 2019, corporators crossing party lines, passed a proposal to rehabilitate 26 flash flood-affected families and to allocate houses within seven days. However, the municipal commissioner now has expressed his inability to do so. 

Gaikwad has referred to Municipal Corporation Development Control Rules which refers to the corporation-reserved tenements and states that the planning authority or appropriate authority will allot such tenements (houses) on priority to persons dispossessed by implementation of development projects. 

On September 25, 2019,  Katraj, Kondhwa, Sahakarnagar, Dhankawadi faced flash floods in which 25 people died. The corporation had evacuated 3.500 people and shifted them to nearby schools. As per PMC Disaster Management Department’s smart rain tracker system, there was 100 mm rainfall in one-and-half hours. Ambil Odha was flooded, which caused major problems. The PMC administration had admitted there were encroachments on the Ambil Odha.