Tomorrow, defence land issues on Parrikar’s table On Defence - TopicsExpress

Tomorrow, defence land issues on Parrikar’s table On Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s table during his visit to Pune will be issues related to Red Zone in Dehu Road area and a road through the College of Military Engineering in Dapodi that Bhopkel villagers find tough to cross, besides completion certificates for constructions in Lohegaon Air Force area and flyovers that need Defence Ministry permission. The district administration would place these before Parrikar on Thursday in a meeting at Van Bhavan on Senapati Bapat Road, which is likely to be attended by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar as well. “Key issues pertaining to defence land will be placed before the minister,” said District Collector Saurabh Rao, who, along with Pune Divisional Commissioner S Chockalingam, would put forth hurdles pertaining to defence land people are facing. There are around 400 properties in Lohegaon Air Force area that have not been issued completion certificates due to IAF restrictions. “Some are in civic limits. Others are under the collector’s office. We have not been issuing completion certificates due to this deadlock. We have been trying to organise meetings to sort out these issues. We would place these matters before the minister,’’ said the collector. The issue of Red Zone on Dehu Road has been raging for long. Residents have been seeking a reduction in area earmarked as Red Zone and a fresh survey of the area. “We had readied maps and the Dehu Road Cantonment had approved them. There is no progress on measurement. An allocation of Rs 44 lakh by the defence department, as requested, has not been done,” said Rao. The district administration said that before any demarcation, various parameters need to identified. A proper survey of areas was imperative and would require an allocation of Rs 8 crore. The issue of who would conduct the survey and the budgetary allocation needs to be discussed. The area is spread across 3500 hectares and has nearly 7000 properties, officials said. The Sangharsh Samiti representing the residents pointed out that nearly 18 villages had been merged with PCMC after the Red Zone notification. The Red Zone around Dehu Road Ammunition Depot is a “no-development zone” within 2000 yards of its boundaries. The Samiti members sought some leeway and said Red Zone boundary should be reduced as the notification had come after constructions came up. Many areas in Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority, Dehu Road Cantonment limits and nearby villages were affected by the Red Zone. Maval MP Shrirang Barne said, “The Red Zone issue will top our discussion with the minister…We are looking for a final solution.” In Bhopkel area in Pimpri-Chinchwad area a road that passes through CME, Dapodi is an issue. Villagers who want to use the road complained of harassment, which forced the district collector to conduct several meetings. An alternative road or some other measure for the villagers would be discussed in the meeting. Other issues to be discussed include Warje-Shivne Road and several flyovers, especially the Ghorpadi flyover. defencetalk.net/threads/tomorrow-defence-land-issues-on-parrikar%E2%80%99s-table.3946/