Pune: Illegal constructions by pubs, hotels, restaurants and bars demolished in Baner, Balewadi, Koregaon Park; 56,000-sq ft area freed (Video)

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Building Department demolished illegal constructions in the side and front margins of hotels, bars in various parts of the city on the second consecutive day on Thursday and freed around 56,000-sq ft area at 19 places.

The PMC has freed almost 92,906 sq ft of space in the past two days. Unauthorized construction on footpaths and sheds have been removed.

The commercial establishments that faced action included the Corner Lounge Bar, ML Citobar, Esko Bar, Elift Bar, Brew Merchant Cafe, Urbo Kitchen Bar, Native Bar, The Joyce Boy, Filament Bar, Three Musketeers Terrace, Manali Bar, Dock Yard, Grandmama’s Café in Koregaon Park, Dhaba Shaba in Baner, Niranjan Kawade, Prem Restaurant, Tully Bar, Social Hotel on Fergusson College Road in Shivajinagar and a hotel on Hadapsar-Saswad Road.

Serious offences were reported in the city in the past two months and earlier such as the drug mafia Lalit Patil escape and the drug racket case; the hit-and-run case in Kalyani Nagar, in which a minor son of a builder was responsible for the deaths of two IT engineers. Then the recent drug party at 3L pub on Fergusson College Road that went on till the small hours the next day.

After the opposition criticised the government over these issues, the State Government ordered the police, the civic body and the State Excise Department to crack down on illegal pubs, bars, along with hotels. After the Ferguson Road pub incident, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde issued strict orders to the authorities to demolish illegal pubs and hotels.

Due to this, the police administration, which was reluctant to provide manpower for demolition operations, has now provided their force on its own to the PMC to take action. Thus, the action has gained momentum.