The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has ordered an immediate halt to construction at the Regency Aawishkar and Rohan Leher-1 housing projects in Baner after a complaint alleged that adjoining amenity spaces remain landlocked without a mandatory nine-metre-wide road connection to the main road.
The stop-work notice was issued on September 30 by the Executive Engineer of the PMC’s Building Development Department, Zone 3, under Section 267(1) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act and Section 54 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966. It was served on the developer and other concerned parties, directing them to discontinue all ongoing construction immediately.
The municipal action follows a complaint by Mukunda Tukaram Tapkir, who sought access to properties falling partly under Survey Nos. 54 and 55 in Baner. According to the complaint cited in the notice, amenity space within the affected properties does not have an independent and adequate nine-metre-wide road linking it to the main road through the Rohan Leher-1 layout.
Rohan Leher-1 was developed on Survey Nos. 54/1, 54/2 and 54/6 under a layout approved on April 4, 2009, with reference number PLUI/0083/09/1398. The notice identifies Sanjay Balkrishna Boob, partner of Rohan Sarsan Aawishkar Developers, as the developer and refers to architect Sameer Walimbe in connection with the approved layout.
The second project under scrutiny, Regency Aawishkar, is being developed on properties under Survey No. 53/1. Its layout was approved on May 20, 2021, under Commencement Certificate reference CC/0316/21. Boob is also identified as the developer of this project. The PMC said it took action after the complaint and an inspection of the construction site.
The notice records that reinforced cement concrete work had already been completed, indicating that the structural framework was in place when the stop-work direction was issued. It also warns that allowing construction to continue under the developer’s supervision, or failing to comply with the order, could lead to further action under the relevant laws.
If work continues despite the order, the PMC has said it may use police assistance to remove people engaged in construction from the site. The expenses incurred during such enforcement action will be recovered from the concerned developers, according to the notice. It also cites the powers of the Municipal Commissioner under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act and refers to Section 433(c), concerning notices, orders and directions issued by the designated officer.
Boob has disputed the municipal action and said the order was incorrect. “We had submitted the necessary documents to the civic body, but unfortunately, they were not taken into consideration. We will have no option but to pursue legal recourse,” he said.
The PMC has said it is examining ways to address the access issue. Pravin Shende, Superintending Engineer of the civic body, said the administration was exploring options to create the nine-metre-wide road and would find a solution. The next steps will depend on the developer’s proposed legal challenge, the municipal review of the approved layouts and how the disputed access route is resolved.
