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PMC stops sports complex work by ILS Law college
Locals and civic activists have opposed the move on grounds that it may damage the sprawling hills and their ecology
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has stopped the construction of a sports complex by Indian Law Society (ILS) Law College until further notice. The sports complex is being constructed on Vetal Tekdi and the stop work notice was served after PMC officials conducted a field visit on Tuesday.
The PMC instructed the college to seize all work for the complex immediately, with the boundary wall adjacent to the area also to be taken down. The civic body has threatened legal action against the college if it defies the corporation’s decision.
The PMC notice claimed that area which is a ‘Hill Top Hill Slope’ zone is not permitted for development as per Section 4.17 under Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) rules 2020. The zone is stated to be ‘Kept In Abeyance’, that classifies it as a no-construction zone, until PMC construction is sanctioned as part of their development plan, said the notice.
“After being approached by the activists, we inspected the area and found earthmover machines levelling the ground on the Hill Top Hill Zone for construction purposes. We issued a letter to ILS Law College to immediately stop construction work. We will inspect the area in detail and look into the background of the activity. The decision will be taken accordingly. For now, the college must seize constructing the complex,” said Bipin Shinde, executive engineer, PMC.
The college claimed that it decided to build a sports complex at its Vetal tekdi premises to protect the area from encroachments and ensure the safety of students and citizens,however, locals and civic activists opposed the move on grounds that it may damage the sprawling hills and their ecology.
Deepa Paturkar, principal, ILS Law College Pune earlier on Monday said, “We are only trying to protect the area from encroachments and ensure the safety of students and citizens. We do not intend to damage the environmental system. We have had incidents of robberies and illegal drug usage in the area. To add to that, construction debris were dumped there, forcing us to build a wall.”
Encroachments have previously been reported in the college-owned premises along with the dumping of debris, regular thefts and illegal drug use compromising the residents’ safety. According to the college management, they will be taking charge of the protection of the premises by building a sports complex there. College officials said that no permanent structures would be built so as not to tamper with the hill’s natural ecosystem. Plans are afoot to level the ground and introduce nets to set up a clay-based tennis court and football fields. The idea is to create a safe space for students and citizens where there is no fear of encroachers or thieves, college officials said.
Paturkar said, “We do think that there should be more activity in the area to prevent any such illegal behaviour, which can only be ensured by increasing the number of people frequenting the premises. With a sports complex, this can be achieved. There are many encroachments from other parties at the tekdi and we have been advocating against it. We are trying to develop a space that is primarily for people to indulge in recreational activities. With the establishment of a sports complex, we will also be ensuring that there are no further encroachments and that we can claim the space.”
According to residents and activists however, Vetal tekdi is once again under threat from infrastructural development. So much so that members of the Deccan Gymkhana Parisar Samiti (DGPS) have launched a petition against the construction of the sports complex at the ILS Law College premises, and urged the college management to rescind the project on the grounds that “Vetal tekdi might meet with the same fate as Taljai tekdi which has been encroached by hawkers and stalls.”
Sushma Date, member, DGPS, said, “It’s disappointing that the one entity we trusted to keep the tekdi free from construction or commercial activity has decided to build a sports complex here. In fact, ILS had carried out afforestation drives on the tekdi in the 1930s and 40s which led to much of the greenery that we see there now. All tekdis in Pune are under the relentless pressure of ‘development’ in the form of roads, gardens, water tanks, walls, memorials or sports complexes. Sadly, the next generation will not have the benefits of a pristine green space right in the heart of the city.”
