Pune cantonment board fails to check footpath encroachment

A resident of Camp, Rusi Bharucha, recently wrote to Major General Navneet Kumar, president, Pune Cantonment Board, about the misuse of the public space

The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has failed to act against encroachment on a footpath on the busy Taboot street. Close to 60-70 metre stretch of the footpath has all but disappeared due to encroachment by a restaurant and handcarts.

Camp resident says the footpath on Taboot street is used up by restaurant and handcarts. (Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

A resident of Camp, Rusi Bharucha, recently wrote to Major General Navneet Kumar, president, Pune Cantonment Board, about the misuse of the public space.

“As it is the road is narrow. On one side there are two-wheelers parked and the other side is packed with handcarts and hawkers,” Bharucha said.

He urged that in the interest of senior citizens and small children”, the encroachment is removed at the earliest.

The beginning of the road from the side of Aurora Towers is marked by a newly opened restaurant called Dilli Darbar. While the restaurant has its kitchen inside the eating place, it has set up a snack centre inside a steel enclosure on the footpath itself located outside.

Dilli Darbar restaurent has set up a snack centre inside a steel enclosure on the footpath on Taboot street in Camp. (Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

When asked about the encroachment, an employee of the restaurant who did not want to be identified, said, “This is a new restaurant. I only work at this stall. We have not faced any issues from anyone in the area.”

A few pavement blocks that used to be the top of a two-foot tall footpath were visible through the line of empty handcarts and concrete pipes. A kiosk of cigarettes, tobacco products and similar goods is part of the footpath encroachment.

While one side of the street has the footpath encroached upon, the opposite side of the stretch is used for parking of two-wheelers. The parked two-wheelers block the entrance to a residential area.

PCB chief promises action

When asked about the footpath encroachment on Taboot street, Pune Cantonment Board’s chief executive officer (CEO) Amit Kumar requested the reporter to forward the details of the complaint. He said he will not comment till he goes through the complaint, but promised action in the case. The Southern Command’s public relations officer (PRO) said he would respond on the issue soon.