Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is considering involving its legal department while organising anti-encroachment drives to avoid possible fake cases being filed against their employees under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The PMC is also considering setting up a separate cell of legal experts to guide it on how to avoid possible fake atrocity cases while taking actions against encroachments and illegal structures. A proposal has been mooted by senior Congress corporator Avinash Bagwe and NCP corporator Priya Gadade before the Standing Committee.
According to the proposal, PMC employees attached to departments like anti-encroachment, building permission and sky sign tend to avoid taking actions against encroachments and illegal structures as they fear cases being filed against them under sections of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The proposal said that civic employees should be able to take action against encroachments without any exception and they should not spare the errant on the basis that fake atrocity cases may be filed against them. The proposal states that few stall and hoarding mafias had resorted to filing fake atrocity cases against civic employees when they attempted to remove encroachments. To avoid this, the proposal states that the PMC should seek legal opinion before taking action against illegal structures or hoardings.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (anti-encroachment) Sandhya Gagare said that rarely do civic employees face atrocity cases, but they are sometimes threatened that atrocity cases will be filed against them.
The Standing Committee will discuss the proposal during its weekly meeting to be held on Tuesday.
The proposal filed before the PMC’s Standing Committee states that few stall and hoarding mafias had resorted to filing fake atrocity cases against civic employees when they attempted to remove encroachments.
