PCB tells police it isn’t liable if dilapidated houses collapse

Pune: The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has written to the police saying it will not be responsible in case a house identified as dilapidated collapses.A section of citizens and activists said the PCB authorities have failed to find an apt solution to the issue over the last two decades. It may be noted that cantonment may remove dangerous or unsafe portions of a house under section 297 of the Cantonment Act, 2006.Sanjay Kawade, an activist, said, “PCB simply shoots off notices to owners and tenants. It indicates that officials do not want to take responsibility of the safety of citizens. They should work hard to convince people to do house repair work.”Subrat Pal, PCB chief executive officer, said, “We are not shrugging off responsibility. We are reminding people that they will have no excuse to hide behind if their house collapses. They are not paying heed to our notices and do not repair their homes. ”The board has kept the Wanowrie and Cantonment police in the loop. However, the police said they do not have power to initiate action.Shashikant Chavan, police inspector of the cantonment police, said, “We have received letters from the PCB. Legally, we cannot direct anyone to initiate repair works. ”James Paul, president of the Pune Cantonment Tenants’ Association, said, “We have been trying to resolve the differences between owners and tenants for the last few years. While in some cases we were successful, the matter remains unresolved.”