On Tuesday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) targeted illegal constructions in restricted areas surrounding the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Lohegaon. The defense authorities had raised alarms about increasing encroachments and the construction of high-rises in Vimannagar and Lohegaon.
Civic official Rajesh Bankar stated, “We issued notices to 24 brick-and-mortar properties located near the bomb dump area of the IAF establishment. After following the legal protocols, we demolished the illegal structures and cleared 48,000 square feet of area.”
Meanwhile, in Purani Dilli’s Kucha Nahar Khan, amidst the hustle and bustle, a job poster seeking “illiterate to graduate boys” for “packing and scanning” by Amazon has been spotted on a peeling wall, next to a flyer offering tuition classes in various subjects.
The street features a few old doorways, one painted in a fading blue that seems fragile enough to wash away with the first monsoon rains. The pre-monsoon air in Kucha Nahar Khan is oppressively hot and humid, yet the cook at Yaseen Bawarchi endures the heat in his cramped kitchen filled with pots and ladles. Nearby, Yusuf Chai Wale prepares another round of chai, while Yaseen, the electric appliance repairer, attempts to revive a battered toaster amidst a collection of deteriorating household items. He reveals little but manages to convey his respect for the historical figure after whom the Kucha is named, simply saying, “Nahar Khan was accha aadmi.”
The street features more doorways; one ajar reveals three additional doors, all painted in the same delicate blue. A dog confidently enters through this portal and quickly disappears from view. Another doorway is adorned with a marble plaque reading “Hasan Manzil” and the year 1956, though the black paint of its Urdu inscription has faded over time.
Kucha Nahar Khan is a kaleidoscope of life; each glance unveils a new scene. To one side, there’s a workshop manufacturing juice machines, and on the opposite side, the Kitab-Bu-Shifa bookstore specializes in Unani medicine. The street concludes beside an unmarked grave, revered by locals as a sacred mazar, which gives Kucha Nahar Khan its alternate name: Gali Mazar Wali.
