Municipal Commissioner Arun Bhatia's special drive today met with stiff resistance by a group of hoteliers, who staged a rasta roko for few minutes when the action was being taken against Hotel Roopali.

During the day-long operation the squad demolished structures at a number of prominent hotels including Shravan, Viceroy, Vaishali, Salokha, Revivial, Manmeet, Ramsar, Shahghai Fast Food, Rambo, Niranjan, Savera and Sumedha, which had come up in the front, back and side margins. Besides, the action was also taken at Mantri House and at Times House, where the office of The Times of India is located.

The action once again proved how the development control rules related to parking were being blatantly violated by the hoteliers, builders and shopkeepers. Almost all the hotels on the Fergusson College Road were found using margin space, where vehicles are expected to be parked, as restaurant and kitchen.

The squad began its operations from Hotel Shravan, owned by retired assistant commissioner of police Sharad Avasthi. The squad found a board which stated that the hotel was closed for renovation. The civic officials, however, asked the hotel owner to open it. When it was opened, they found no renovation work in progress. A mezzanine, admeasuring 10 X 15 feet was pulled down by the staff with the help of a gas cutter.

The squad later turned to Sadashiv Palace, where an unauthorised structure had come in the premises of the building. It was demolished with the help of excavators. A shed at Cafe Ramsar was also pulled down g near hotel Shravan.

The demolition squad removed extended grills of several shops at Dnyaneshwar Paduka chowk, which had encroached upon the front margin of the building. A shed of hotel Niranjan, which was in the side margin, was also pulled down by the labours.

A massive structure in front margin of Bhosale Heights, office of the prominent builder Avinash Bhosale, was razed with the help of excavators. A shed and bar room in the back margin of Hotel Viceroy, located in the same building, was also demolished by the civic squad.

BJP corporator Anil Shirole, who runs Hotel Parichay, had pulled down a kuchcha structure in the side margin of the building after he received the notice. The squad went there and returned without taking any action since Shirole had demolished the structures, violating the rules.

The squad demolished walls in the side margin of Hotel Vaishali and also pulled down a structure at Hotel Manmeet, which had come in the front margin of the building. The excavators also destroyed a fountain and decorative pillars in the front margin of Mantri House. Similarly, decorative pillars in front margin of the Times House were raised while a wall in the basement was also demolished. Action was taken at Hotel Sheetal, owned by Congress leader Nivrutti Sherekar.

Special cell: In his crusade against the unauthorised constructions in the city, Bhatia has decided to set up a special cell to take necessary action. Officials said Bhatia has ordered to put up three complaint boxes, exclusively for unauthorised constructions, in the municipal corporation.

The complaint boxes would also be put up at all the ward offices. The officials said Bhatia had decided to form a special group of officers to scrutinise the complaints. The valid complaints would be sent to anti-encroachment department for necessary action.