PCMC razes 4 illegal religious structures in midnight crackdown

Between 3 am and 5 am, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation conducted a demolition drive in Kudalwadi and Jadhavwadi, razing four unauthorised religious structures—two mosques and two temples—along Visava Chowk to police chowky stretch, near the Kudalwadi police outpost, on Jadhavwadi Road and on Savata Mali Mandir Road. About 1,200 police personnel and 218 Maharashtra Security Force jawans were deployed, with 10 Poclain machines, 10 JCBs, 50 labourers, three fire brigade vehicles and two ambulances. The structures were illegal tin sheds, brick structures and RCC constructions totaling 4,336.28 sq ft. Tensions rose as residents protested; two JCBs were allegedly damaged by stone-pelting, though officials did not officially confirm vandalism. The operation was supervised by PCMC commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi and police commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey; building-permission officials and anti-encroachment teams from eight ward offices participated.

Police sealed roads leading to the Kudalwadi and Jadhavwadi localities late on Sunday night to prevent potential law-and-order issues ahead of the demolition drive.

Last April, PCMC issued notices to 31 unauthorised religious structures—18 mosques and 13 temples in Kudalwadi and surrounding areas—for erecting structures without approval from the civic building permission department, and asked them to remove the establishments within two weeks.