PCB writes to police commissioner, says vendors’ shops at Fashion Street illegal

PUNE: The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) administration has shot off a letter to the Pune police commissioner seeking assistance in enforcing fire safety norms after vendors at the famous Fashion Street in the Camp area of Pune set up shops in violation of the board’s orders to wait till firefighting rules are implemented to ensure safety of both vendors and buyers

PUNE: The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) administration has shot off a letter to the Pune police commissioner seeking assistance in enforcing fire safety norms after vendors at the famous Fashion Street in the Camp area of Pune set up shops in violation of the board’s orders to wait till firefighting rules are implemented to ensure safety of both vendors and buyers.

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Amit Kumar, chief executive officer of the PCB, said, “The vendors have illegally set up their shops. We have sought police cooperation for taking measurements at Fashion Street. The vendors did not wait for the fire safety norms to be put in place and went ahead with raising the structures which is illegal.”

Earlier this month, Kumar wrote to the Lashkar police station seeking action against the alleged ongoing construction at Fashion Street. Last month, the PCB issued a public notice asking the vendors there to maintain “status quo” and refrain from carrying out any further construction. Kumar even requested the police to deploy adequate personnel on an urgent basis to maintain status quo until such time the board took a decision and to avoid any untoward incident and disruption of law and order. Despite the steps taken by the board however, further illegal construction was reported. Recently, the board received complaints about illegal structures having been raised without mandatory permissions.

On March 26 this year, nearly 500 to 600 shops at Fashion Street were completely gutted after a major fire broke out in the area. While no casualties were reported, the head of the PCB’s fire department, Prakash Hasabe, was killed in a road accident while returning home after dousing the fire. Hasabe’s two-wheeler came under a bus the next morning at around 6.30am while he was on his way home (Viman nagar) after finishing fire-fighting at Fashion Street which was completely charred in the blaze.

While the PCB is keen on construction of a commercial complex well equipped with all fire safety measures, the vendors’ association has publicly maintained that it is right in resuming business in accordance with vendors’ rights to a livelihood. Fashion Street, which is located adjacent to MG road, typically houses around 448 registered shops and 200 unauthorised outlets selling garments, shoes and other accessories.