The water tanker lobby is being protected by corporators and corrupt administrative officials.
Press media live :
Pune : The water scarcity in Pune has been artificially created and aggravated into a water crisis situation. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration, in reality, has failed to curb the water theft issue. The water tanker lobby is being protected by corporators and corrupt administrative officials. To fight this chronic and corrupt system, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today led an agitation to the PMC building in which a large number of activists and distressed citizens participated.
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There is severe water shortage in the 23 newly added villages in PMC. Apart from these areas, water scarcity is also felt in those peripheral areas of Pune Municipal Corporation that were added several years back. AAP Pune City Water Rights Movement’s Committee Coordinator Mr Abasaheb Kamble (8390906656) stated that “Despite making repeated requests, in the form of letters to PMC, the water crisis situation has not been addressed yet.”
“In hundreds of societies across Pune, water is not provided by PMC and, as a result, these societies and their management committee buy water from tankers costing them lakhs of rupees per month. On the other hand, citizens also pay water tax to the corporation every year. This double taxation on citizens is highly unfair. Moreover, within the jurisdiction of PMC, 40% of water is wasted everyday because of substandard pipe infrastructure, damages during digging of roads, faulty meters etc. Large scale water theft is also taking place. Consequently, tanker lobby, that gets patronage from corporators and corrupt administrative officials, has spread its wings across the city. It’s the common citizen who bears the brunt of all these practices and has to shell out a hefty sum from his/her pocket”, said Sudarshan Jagdale (9527911911) of the AAP Pune Water Rights Movement Committee.
Vidyanand Nayak, AAP’s Coordinator for the Wanwadi-Kausarbaug ward, the area that’s grappling with water problem regularly, states that, “Over last several years, PMC has given permission to developers and builders to construct huge societies only after taking written ‘Water Affidavits’ from them. With these affidavits, the PMC wishes to abandon its duty of providing drinking water to these societies. Finally, it has been observed, that neither the builder takes nor the PMC takes responsibility of supplying clean water to the residents and, ultimately, these families have to fend for themselves. This whole practice is against the law of land and even the Hon’ble High court has come down heavily on PMC for such dereliction of its duty”.
For today’s protest, Sudarshan Jagdale, Abasaheb Kamble, Amol Kale, Sameer Arwade, Nilesh Wanjale, Vidyanand Nayak, Anwar Baba Shaikh, Umesh Bagde, Fabian Anna Samson, Yashwant Bansode, Aarti Karanjawane, Jyoti Takawale, Sunanda Jadhav, Vaishali Dongre, Seema Gutte, Sachin Kotwal, City Organizer Eknath Dhole had participated along with many party members, activists and citizens.
With pressure from the tanker lobby, acute water shortage has been purposefully created in Pune and as a result the tanker lobby does good business in the city, especially in areas like Baner, Balewadi, Hadapsar, Fursungi, Kalepadal, Sade Satra Nali, Mohammadwadi, Khadi Machine Chowk, Undri, Pisoli, Wadki Nala, Yeolewadi, Kondhwa Budruk, Wanwadi, Katraj, Ambegaon, Ambegaon Budruk, Narhe, Wadgaon Budruk, Sinhagad Road, Dhayari, Nanded Phata, Kirkatwadi, Kolhewadi, Khadakwasla, Warje-Malwadi, Ganpati Matha, Kondhave-Dhavade, NDA Gate, Bavdhan, Sus Road, Susgaon, Baner, Balewadi, Mhalunge, Dapodi, Bopodi, Mula Road, Vishrantwadi, Kalas, Lohgaon, Viman Nagar, Kharadi, Chandan Nagar bypass, Manjari, Wagholi. This tanker lobby gets the requisite protection from several established corporators and corrupt officials from PMC administration.
Despite the order of the Hon'ble High Court, the PMC has not supplied adequate water to the newly included villages on the periphery of Pune and also to the old and interior parts within PMC. The Municipal Corporation, which spends crores of rupees on unwanted schemes and on fraudulent contracts, is unwilling to spend its due amount and provide this important commodity i.e. clean water, which is the basic right of every Indian.
An AAP delegation of Dr. Abhijit More, Abasaheb Kamble, Vidyanand Nayak, Seema Gutte and Jyoti Takwale held discussions with Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Mr Vikram Kumar and Department Chief, PMC Water Supply Division, Mr Aniruddh Pawaskar to make the Municipal Corporation aware of its responsibilities and this acute water crisis. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also gave a list of societies that are currently facing this water problem. The Commissioner has assured that, after due assessment, water would be supplied to all these distraught societies. Aniruddh Pawaskar also assured that a decision on increasing the tanker supply would be taken in tomorrow's (Tuesday) meeting and that he will hold a review meeting with AAP delegation next week. Aam Aadmi Party has also demanded that the written undertaking from builders in the form of ‘Water Affidavit’ must be stopped immediately.