Pune Cantonment Board Launches Inspection After Sachapir Street Slab Tragedy
Pune: In the wake of the tragic slab crash on Sachapir Street, the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has dispatched a team from its engineering section to inspect the affected property. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, resulted in the death of a 20-year-old worker and injuries to three others. The crash involved a fourth-floor cantilever slab collapsing onto a third-floor slab at a construction site on Sachapir Street in Camp.
A PCB official stated that the team will meticulously check whether the construction adheres to the sanctioned plan and verify various parameters, including the height of the property. The property in question is a 'freehold' property, and the Holder of Occupancy Right and a builder were involved in the construction. Permission was granted last year to build the ground and first floors of the building. The total area of the plot, house number 595, is 13,421.78 square feet. According to the Floor Space Index (FSI) rules, the maximum allowable height for freehold property construction is 54 feet.
The PCB official added that the inspection will also assess whether the owners have left sufficient space for parking and other amenities as specified in the sanctioned plan. Currently, there are approximately 2,436 civil properties registered in the cantonment records, spread across six wards and about 250 acres of land in the heart of Pune. Activists are urging the cantonment board to carefully scrutinize all building development plans before granting approvals.
Karansingh Makhwani, a former member of the board who met with officials from the engineering section on Wednesday, commented, 'As per our assessment, the builder has utilized more FSI. The engineer of the area had not conducted a proper inspection of the site in the past.' Activist Rajabhau Chavan emphasized, 'Given the significant real estate value of these properties due to their prime location, several private entities have shown interest in redevelopment over the past few years. The cantonment board should enforce strict guidelines when sanctioning the plans.'
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Milind Mohite informed the media, 'We will study all the documents related to the construction site and the agreements with the labor contractor before fixing responsibilities and registering a case.' Senior Inspector Girish Dhigavkar of the Cantonment Police added, 'We have sought documents from the Cantonment Board and other authorities. We have recorded statements from the injured workers and the contractor.'
The incident has raised serious concerns about construction safety and regulatory compliance in the area. The PCB's inspection is a crucial step in ensuring that such tragedies are prevented in the future.
