Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The municipal corporation has launched a road widening campaign in the city. On Thursday, a loudspeaker vehicle from the municipal corporation made rounds in Harsul, from the jail to the lake area, urging affected property owners to remove their belongings voluntarily. This sudden announcement created a wave of panic among property owners. Notably, the corporation has not yet marked the properties for demolition, leaving many owners confused about the exact extent of the road widening and how much of their property will be affected. Last week, a similar loudspeaker announcement was made from Harsul village to Sawangi.
Following this, concerned property owners met with administrator G Sreekanth. Two days later, markings were carried out in Harsul village, after which the loudspeaker campaign was paused. However, on Thursday morning, a municipal vehicle once again drove through the area, asking people to clear out their belongings to avoid losses. Jatwada Road, on both sides, is densely populated with both commercial and residential properties. This has raised concerns among owners: How many feet of their property will be affected?
Road to be widened to 80 feet
According to sources in the municipal corporation, the road from Harsul Jail to the lake is planned to be widened to 24 meters (approximately 80 feet) as per the new layout. Markings will be carried out accordingly in the near future.
Over 500 properties likely to be affected
Estimates suggest that more than 500 properties could be impacted by this 80-foot widening. For some owners, 2 feet of their land might be affected, while others may lose up to 5 feet. Many of these constructions have valid building permissions.
Citizens demand proper marking first
Following Thursday's announcement on Jatwada Road, property owners are planning to meet the administrator tomorrow.
“The Corporation should first mark the affected areas and then give citizens time to vacate their possessions. Making sudden announcements is not right. People are living in fear,” said former corporator Rupchand Waghmare.