PUNE: The civic action against the 36 illegal bungalow structures at the 'River Villa' project, located in the blue flood line area of Chikhali in Pimpri Chinchwad on Saturday, left many residents homeless.

The owners of the demolished structures claimed they were cheated by the developer, who sold the plots as being in a 'residential zone'. They also alleged thatPCMC staff took bribe money from them to avoid initiating action against their illegal structures.Gyanprasad Yadav, a 60-year-old native of Uttar Pradesh who moved to Pimpri Chinchwad two decades ago, was in tears as he watched Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation officials demolish his house.

Earlier this year, his furniture shop in Kudalwadi was among over 4,000 illegal establishments demolished by PCMC. "I lost my business a few months ago, and now I have lost my home too," Yadav said, adding that he invested around Rs 35 lakh—his entire life’s savings—into building the house.Several residents affected by the PCMC action claimed they were not prepared for such a large-scale demolition against the residential structures.

Shashikant Chaudhary, 43, said he had no option but to send his family to stay with relatives as their only home in the city was demolished. "I sold two acres of farmland to build my dream home. I invested nearly Rs 70 lakh, all my savings, into building the home with the best infrastructure and interiors.

Now, everything has been reduced to rubble," he said.Rehbar Shaikh, who recently moved into his new home after spending more than 20 years in rented accommodation, said his joy was short-lived as the house was demolished just days after he moved in.Another affected resident, Shailesh Vispute, said he is still repaying a monthly EMI of Rs 44,000 on a home loan. "I used all my savings to build this house. The developer told us the plots were in a residential zone. We were completely misled," he said.His father, Mahendra Vispute, alleged that civic officials promised no action against their homes in exchange for bribes. "We paid money to these civic officials to save our houses from PCMC’s action. For a one-storey structure, people paid Rs 50,000, while for a two-storey building, we paid Rs 1 lakh each but were betrayed later.

We were given water and electricity connections and have regularly paid property tax for the past four years. How can they now claim the homes were illegal?" he questioned.Mahendra’s claim of PCMC officials accepting bribes to avoid action was also echoed by other residents, who said they also paid money to save their structures.Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh told TOI that the action was carried out in accordance with the NGT order. "If residents submit a written complaint that they paid money to PCMC officials to avoid action, we will investigate the matter in detail. The strictest action will be initiated against those found involved. If the allegations are proved, the concerned officials can be suspended, and we can also register legal cases in the matter."