As Pune is being redeveloped gradually, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has brought out new safety rules for the demolition of old buildings. The initiative is a regulatory instrument for the execution of the scrapping of old buildings for redevelopment in a safe manner- without loss of life, damage to the neighbors' properties, and without an increase in air pollution.
The new orders that came into effect this week require developers to give the fire brigade, local police, and neighbors prior notice of the demolition. Also, the regulations require developers to have a structural engineer's endorsement, 24x7 keep security on the site, and undertake measures to avoid that dust and pieces do not spread on public roads.
PMC officials say the set of measures is an answer to the city's repeated safety issues of mishandlings during redevelopment that have occurred in the neighborhoods that are tightly packed with residential buildings, mainly those where there is close proximity between the demolition site and houses that are still inhabited. Developers Must Keep Neighbors and Fire Brigade Informed
“The new building permission will be given only if demolition safety guidelines issued by PMC are strictly followed. Developers will have to evidence their compliance by submitting photographs,” said Rajesh Bankar, a senior official from the PMC’s Building Permission Department.
As per the announcement, developers have to send the fire brigade, local residents, and police stations a written notice about the demolition works. Such a step is designed for the authorities to always be ready for any emergency, and neighbors to have time in order to vacate the area if there is a danger of damage.
If the next-door buildings happen to be old or structurally weak, the PMC has declared that neighbors' evacuation is mandatory before the place of demolition.
Furthermore, to make sure that safety is maintained, security personnel will be assigned to each site and they will also be responsible for ensuring a safe working area around the clock to prevent illegal access as well as to monitor public security during demolition activities.
Structural Engineer Approval Now Compulsory
The foremost feature of the new regulations is the necessity of a structural engineer's certificate before the building is demolished. The PMC highlights that there is no room for negotiation in this matter. The engineers shall check the building, the structures around it, and then select such a method of demolition which is both safe and feasible to the site.
"It's an essential move," stated the civic engineer who declined to reveal his name. "In most of the accidents during the past, developers hired untrained contractors who performed demolition in an unsafe way. Therefore, the involvement of a structural engineer will lessen the chances of such a situation."
Green Covers for Debris Transport
The concern of the civic body over the mismanagement of the area that is to be cleared after the demolition has been also quite high. The new PMC's directives require that all the trucks carrying the debris are wrapped with green material so that dust does not escape into the air and litter city roads.
This measure is one of many that are aimed at reducing the level of pollution in the city, caused by construction and demolition works, which is now becoming a huge problem in the core areas such as Kothrud, Deccan, and Prabhat Road, that are undergoing rapid redevelopment in Pune.
Local residents have welcomed the introduced regulations and simultaneously requested the strict implementation of those measures on the ground. "Several old properties are being redeveloped in our area without taking the necessary safety measures. I can recall the times when the demolition of some buildings was the cause of the damage of others that were close by," said A. S. Dixit, a Kothrud resident as per ET Times.
Another group raised environmental issues. "The majority of these projects are situated in small streets where heavy vehicles frequently make their way in and out. It is not only a matter of safety, but also air and noise pollution," stated Ketan Kulkarni from Prabhat Road.
Redevelopment on the Rise in Pune
There has been an upward trend in the number of the redevelopment projects that got the green light by Pune during the last couple of years. The data of PMC reveals that in the financial year 2023-24, 1,709 building permission were approved, thus nearly double compared to the year 2022-23 when only 956 were given the green light. The civic body had a revenue of ₹1,636 crore in the building permissions sector during 2022-23.
In 2024–25, the pace was even faster, with around 3,359 proposals being approved and about ₹2,600 crore being collected by March 31, thus exceeding the target of ₹2,492.83 crore set for the fiscal year.
Officials say that with redevelopment being the leading way of urban renewal in Pune, ensuring safe demolition practices has become a civic priority.
The PMC's recent move is indicative of an increasingly acknowledged fact that urban expanding cannot be done to the detriment of people's safety or environmental health. For a city like Pune where hundreds of buildings aged over thirty years are being redeveloped, these new regulations are anticipated to set the standard for the construction industry's responsible practices.
Although developers might consider the additional measures as time-consuming, the civic officials are of the opinion that the steps will eventually bring about fewer accidents, cleaner surroundings, and the trust of the citizens living next to the redevelopment projects will grow.
With Pune gradually turning into a modern urban hub, the message from the civic body is that redevelopment should not only serve the purpose of the city building but it must be done with safety, sustainability, and accountability.
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