Get a realty check first, officials urge buyers

Revenue department appeals to people to ensure property they want doesn't fall in Red Zone, as structures there can be demolished

The Revenue Department has now put the onus on people to thoroughly verify the status of property they plan to buy. This they said was to avoid a repeat of Dighi 'Red Zone' property issue. Fifteen days ago, Dilip Band, divisional commissioner, gave demolition notices to structures falling within 250 m from the boundary wall of the Dighi Magazine Depot. The decision was taken after a meeting with Ashish Sharma, municipal commissioner of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Strictly speaking, structures within 1,145m of a restricted area fall within the Red Zone, but efforts have been on to restrict it to 690 m.u00a0

Officials said people often buy property in restricted areas without a background check and then panic when they are served demolition notices. "People should thoroughly check with the PCMC, the Collectorate and the revenue department if the land falls under the zone. They should submit all the important documents and plans related to the land/property and find out the status of the land," said Sandip Shirke, sub-divisional officer.u00a0
Officials said people then hurriedly sell their lands by keeping prospective buyers in the dark. Newcomers, unaware of red zone issues, may purchase such property, they said.
u00a0

u00a0