Pune: Though the Maharashtra government has relaxed the coronavirus lockdown norms for construction activities outside the COVID-19 hotspots from April 20 by following necessary precautions, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to review the situation for a week and decide in this regard.
The State government issued the revised guidelines for the limited relaxation of restrictions for the period between April 20 and May 3, 2020. The government has allowed construction projects within the limits of civic bodies, where workers are available on site, and no workers are required to be brought in from outside. There was a demand from developers and contractors to allow construction activities to complete projects while following the safety guidelines laid down by the government.
While speaking to Sakal Times, PMC City Engineer Prashant Waghmare said, “There is a demand from the real estate sector to allow construction activities. But we cannot give permission right now. We have to review the situation daily due to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
“We will able to assess the situation after eight days. We will come to know the real situation after we get the findings of the survey. After eight days, the zones will be marked. In the green zone, construction work could be resumed following the norms of social distance, wearing compulsory masks, etc.,” he added.
Meanwhile, PMC is already facing a revenue crunch due to the lockdown. Development charges are one of the primary revenue sources for the civic body. It gets maximum development charges during March and April. However, construction activities have been halted in these two months, which has directly affected PMC revenue. PMC collects over Rs 700 crore from development charges.
