Residents around Shaniwar Wada stage protest, demand lifting of ban on reconstruction within 100 m of protected monuments

Residents living around the historic Shaniwar Wada on Sunday staged a protest demanding that heritage laws prohibiting reconstruction within 100 metres of protected monuments be repealed. Members of the Shaniwar Wada Heritage Victims' Committee gathered holding placards that read: 'No begging, we want a house of our right', calling current laws unjust and outdated.
The protesters demanded that restrictive laws barring reconstruction within 100 metres of protected monuments such as Shaniwar Wada be abolished. They said that families living in the area for generations are now facing displacement due to regulations under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2010. The law, enacted by Parliament, prohibits redevelopment or new construction within 100 metres of monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), including Shaniwar Wada and Pataleshwar.
Sunil Tambat, chairman of the committee, said, 'Residents whose families have been here since the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Peshwas are now forced to live in crumbling structures, with no legal rights to rebuild. Most cannot afford to buy homes elsewhere. These heritage laws have left us trapped.'
Sunday's protest was attended by several local residents and activists, including Mayuresh Pawar, Ganesh Nalawade, Sanjay Fengde, Kundan Tambat, Anupama Majumdar, Swapnil Thorve, and others. The committee plans to continue its agitation until the demands of its members are met.
In March 2023, the committee had also written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) seeking permission for total reconstruction of dilapidated houses and a reconsideration of ASI norms. However, there was no response which prompted the Sunday protest.
The issue has grown more urgent due to the deteriorating condition of several traditional wadas—historic residential structures—in nearby areas like Kasba Peth, Budhwar Peth, Shaniwar Peth, and Nana Peth.
According to a 2022-23 survey conducted by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), 57 such wadas located within 100 metres of Shaniwar Wada were declared dangerous. Of these, 26 structures fall under the C1 category (extremely unsafe and uninhabitable); while 31 fall under the C2 (moderately unsafe) category. Every monsoon, the PMC begins the process of evicting residents from these buildings to prevent accidents.
PMC executive engineer Supriya Walse-Patil clarified, 'As per the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR), residents are allowed to repair structures within 100 metres of Shaniwar Wada. However, any redevelopment or new construction still requires approval from the archaeological department, which remains restricted under ASI rules.'
Local MLA Hemant Rasane, representing the Kasba Peth constituency, acknowledged the limitations of current laws and the plight of residents. 'The ASI law is the same across India. Changing it requires a central government policy decision. We are following up on the matter with the Centre. In addition to this, redevelopment of wadas poses a separate set of challenges, and I am actively working with the state government to find a solution.'

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