Illegal fish market removed in Pune's Mohammadwadi-Undri; residents seek probe into drain hoardings

An illegal fish market operating near Lavanya Hotel in Pune's Mohammadwadi-Undri area has been removed, bringing some relief to residents. They say, however, that the action should be only a beginning. According to them, other activities running without permission should also face strict action, and accountability and transparency should be placed above all in the city's administration.

While welcoming the removal of the fish market, residents are now focused on alleged irregularities linked to hoardings put up on a drain in the area. They are demanding that an FIR be registered and that the Income Tax Department investigate the money transactions and possible irregularities connected with these hoardings.

Citizens have sought a thorough and in-depth probe into the hoardings. They want permissions, ownership details, the income earned from them and the related financial transactions all examined. They say officials should make clear whether these structures were erected with the required approvals. The people or entities responsible should also be identified, and it should be checked whether any financial irregularity or violation of law took place.

Residents have appealed to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the police to take the allegations seriously, investigate transparently and take appropriate legal action wherever violations are proved. They believe the inquiry should not stop at removing illegal structures. It should also fix accountability on those who allowed such activities, benefited from them or looked the other way.

The matter has revived long-standing concern over encroachment on public spaces and civic amenities in Mohammadwadi and Undri. Residents insist that action should not be limited to a few isolated incidents. It should be continuous and uniform, and reach all illegal structures that obstruct public facilities or damage civic spaces.

For local people, the demand is no longer about clearing a single encroachment. They want rules applied equally to all. They want a system in which permissions are transparent, public facilities are protected, money transactions are examined where necessary, and those found guilty of violations face due consequences.

According to residents, the removal of the fish market has resolved one immediate concern, but the real test lies ahead. It remains to be seen whether the authorities pursue the allegations about the hoardings, bring out the facts through a fair and complete investigation, and ensure that accountability does not end with the removal of a single structure.

Their message is clear: removing encroachments is the first step, and transparency, accountability and legal action should follow.