Pune: The Mumbai building collapse has come as a rude reminder for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) as several families still stay in the shadow of death in 113 old dilapidated wadas that were declared dangerous by the PMC.
There are 384 wadas that are more than 100 years old and have been identified by the PMC as dangerous structures in the 16 congested peth areas of old Pune. Out of these 384 dangerous structures, the PMC has carried out structural audits and surveys of 224 wadas.
However, the PMC has failed to evacuate the families staying in 113 of these dangerous structures and has passed the buck saying that rehabilitating families staying in dangerous wadas is not its duty. The PMC ended up serving eviction notices to the families staying in the dangerous wadas, requesting them to evacuate their residence before monsoon starts. Senior PMC officers said residents of dangerous wadas are mostly tenants and they do not wish to evacuate as they fear losing rights over the property.
According to the civic body, it has dismantled dangerous parts of 111 wadas in order to avoid incidents like old structures caving in and causing loss of life and property. Moreover, dilapidated and dangerous structures may damage properties next to them also.
