Pune Cantonment Board to terminate leases of 23 properties
The Pune Cantonment Board has decided to terminate the leases of 23 properties, which were not renewed by their owners. The leases were not renewed in the stipulated period despite multiple reminders in the past few months, the board said. PCB recently forwarded a formal proposal to this effect to the Principal Director of Defence Estates (PDDE) of the Southern Command. “Termination of the property lease means the government will reacquire these estates from the owners, once it is approved by the PDDE and the Director General Defence Estates (DGDE) office. We cannot keep extending the lease renewal deadline. We must send a strong message to the owners of such properties,” DN Yadav, CEO of PCB, told media on Saturday. The properties in question are located on the busy MG Road, Solapur Bazaar, Taboot Street in the Cantonment. The board officials said that they have completed the renewal of 35 property leases in the past two months. “After many years, people have come forward and completed the mandatory procedure. Eighteen more proposals are under consideration,” Yadav added. A month ago, the PCB had sent eviction notices to residents of 18 properties, who had not renewing their leases or defaulted on rent. However, no decision was reached in that regard. “We have received various responses, which we are analysing,” a senior board official said. “Lease charges of these properties run into lakhs of rupees. As a result, many owners are reluctant to renew them. Their argument is that the lease should not be calculated as per ready reckoner rates of the adjacent civic bodies,” a senior official from the DGDE, who did not wish to be named, told media. Another hurdle is that most of the leased properties are occupied by tenants, who are loggerheads with the property owners. “So neither owners nor tenants are paying heed to the board’s notices,” the official added.
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