In a big relief for residents of Chikhali in Maharashtra’s Pune district, the Supreme Court has stayed until February 10 the National Green Tribunal’s order to raze 29 bungalows constructed allegedly in violation of environmental laws. The residents and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation have been asked to submit their responses.
“We were supposed to demolish the 29 bungalows on Saturday. However, two days ago, the Supreme Court stayed the NGT order and asked us to file our response. Accordingly, we will file our response in February,” PCMC City Engineer Makrand Nikam told The Indian Express.
The 29 bungalows were allegedly built within the blue floodline area, a no-construction zone along the Indrayani, which flows through the borders of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Residents argued that they were unaware that the area fell under the blue floodline of the river. The NGT had ruled that the bungalows should be demolished by December 31.
Describing the ruling as a major relief for residents, Mahesh Patil, one of the petitioners, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Supreme Court for helping our families from being thrown on the street. If our bungalows had been demolished, we would have had no place to live. The bungalows have been constructed with our sweat and toil. We saved every penny so that our families could get a decent place to live.”
Patil said their homes were built five years ago. “In the Supreme Court, our lawyers denied all the allegations that the project had changed the course of the river or that debris had been put in the river, which reduced the size of the river. Nothing of this sort has happened. When we invested in the project, we had no idea whether the area fell within the blue line zone of the river… For no fault of ours, we should not be penalised. Otherwise, we will have nowhere to go,” he said.
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