The Defence Estates Office (DEO), Southern Command, has cleared nearly 1.2 acres of prime defence land at Lullanagar of a nearly 15-year-old unauthorised occupation, with the entire parcel now set to be fenced and put to defence use, Defence Estates Officer, Pune, Vikas Kumar told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.
“The unauthorised encroachment has been removed. Removal of the debris and tin sheds is underway. The entire land, measuring nearly 1.2 acres, will be fenced and put to use for defence purposes,” Kumar said.
He said the fencing of the reclaimed parcel would be completed within a month.
On August 25, the DEO deployed JCB machines and labourers to demolish hundreds of unauthorised tin sheds and iron structures that had come up on A-2 category defence land. The property, located barely 500 metres from the office of the principal director, Defence Estates, had allegedly been occupied since around 2011 by private contractors associated with Military Engineering Service (MES) works.
Kumar said the authorities had repeatedly sought to clear the land and secure its possession, but the contractors continued to use the premises despite notices issued by the DEO. They also cited their association with MES projects while resisting eviction.
The demolition has enabled the DEO to take physical possession of the entire parcel. The plot’s proximity to sensitive defence establishments, including the Southern Command Hospital, had raised concerns over the prolonged presence of private occupants on defence property.
{{/usCountry}}The demolition has enabled the DEO to take physical possession of the entire parcel. The plot’s proximity to sensitive defence establishments, including the Southern Command Hospital, had raised concerns over the prolonged presence of private occupants on defence property.
{{/usCountry}}The action has also drawn attention to other vacant defence land parcels in Pune and Khadki that remain vulnerable to encroachment, garbage and construction-debris dumping, and unauthorised commercial activity.
One such parcel near Queen’s Garden, close to the Southern Command headquarters and the railway line, has allegedly witnessed fresh occupation despite earlier eviction drives.
Cantonment-based civil rights activist Raja Bhau Chavan reiterated his demand for a detailed inquiry into how the occupation was allowed to continue and sought fixation of responsibility for the failure to protect the land.
“A full probe into MES involvement in the illegal occupation is the need of the hour,” he said.
The DEO, Pune circle, is a field office of the Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE) and is responsible for maintaining records and exercising custodial responsibilities over defence land within its jurisdiction.