Most of the city’s wadas, traditional dwellings, that echo Old Pune, are in a perilous condition, and are an obstruction in the city’s attempt to transform itself into a ‘smart’ city. Once a visual shorthand for the Puneri culture, these fast-crumbling structures now pose a threat to the lives of their occupants. For the PMC authorities, the perils are more immediate; each year, the looming monsoon poses a threat to the structures. The occupants oppose any drive to oust them despite threat to their personal safety. So far, we have served notices to 120 of them asking occupants to evacuate so that we can demolish the structures,” said Bipin Shinde, Deputy Engineer, PMC.

Source: The Hindu June 14, 2016 20:15 UTC