E-Paper
Cantonment residents hopeful merger with PMC will bring residential, commercial development
Most cantonment residents residing in structurally vulnerable buildings have been demanding reconstruction of their building plots for the past two decades, however, FSI restrictions have kept them from reconstructing their old houses
While the decision to merge the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) awaits the ministry of defence’s nod, cantonment residents are elated about the possibilities of a potential merger, chief among which is the availability of greater floor space index (FSI) for construction of houses/buildings across the cantonment area.
Most cantonment residents residing in structurally vulnerable buildings have been demanding reconstruction of their building plots for the past two decades however FSI restrictions have kept them from reconstructing their old houses. A merger with the PMC will bring greater FSI not to mention do away with the need for special permission for construction of bigger houses/high-rises. Families staying in smaller houses stand to gain the most through reconstruction wherein a couple of floors can be added and more family members can be accommodated in the building.
Social worker Rajabhau Chavan said, “The noose that has been tightened around the neck of property owners in the cantonment area will now be loosened and as a result, cantonment residents will have a free hand at constructing their buildings as the Cantonment Act will lapse post the merger with PMC. Also, the life of cantonment residents will change as they will have more spacious places to stay. Currently, they are staying in congested houses that are further compounding their problems.”
Rafique Shaikh, a resident of Bhimpura, said, “We received a ‘stop work’ notice when we added two floors to our house around two years ago. We had to reconstruct the house as our space requirements had grown over the years. We have more family members now and the only option before us is to reconstruct our house as a four-storeyed building.”
Besides development of residential properties, real estate developers are of the view that infrastructure upgradation too will go up a few notches after the merger with the civic body. Similarly, a huge opportunity for commercial development of the cantonment area will open up as the Cantonment Act will lapse following the merger with the PMC. The entire area will undergo a transformation due to more investments in the real estate sector.
