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Meeting on Pune city’s water quota inconclusive, Ajit Pawar to meet MPs, MLAs on Monday
PUNE As elected members from Pune city and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) remained firm on not reducing city’s water quota Ajit Pawar, Pune district guardian minister, has decided to call another meeting on Monday (January 25)
PUNE As elected members from Pune city and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) remained firm on not reducing city’s water quota Ajit Pawar, Pune district guardian minister, has decided to call another meeting on Monday (January 25).
Pawar on Friday had called the canal committee’s meeting in the presence of all the MLAs and MPs from Pune city and rural parts of the district.
The irrigation department had put the proposal to cut the city’s water supply by 1.5 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) as Pune city is getting additional water from Bhama Askhed dam.
On the contrary, the elected members from the city claimed that though the city gets additional water from the Bhama Askhed dam, new 34 villages have been merged in the PMC limit and the water requirement has increased.
Girish Bapat, Member of Parliament (MP), said, “I took a firm stand and made it clear that at any cost city’s water quota should not be reduced.”
“New 34 villages have been merged in the city. During Covid-19 pandemic, water demand increased for cleaning purposes. So the water quota should not be reduced. A meeting has been called by the guardian minister on Monday,” said Siddharth Shirole, an elected member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Shivajinagar constituency.
Suresh Jagtap, additional municipal commissioner, said, “We have made a demand for additional water for the city. PMC had made a demand of 18.5 TMC water for the city by considering additional population from merged villages. PMC is executing 24x7 water scheme, but till it is complete, there should be no water cut.”
“We opposed the irrigation department’s demand to cut the city’s water supply,” he said.
The elected members from the rural parts, meanwhile, are supporting the irrigation department’s decision.
MLA Rahul Kul said, “The water supply should be increased in rural areas and so I support the irrigation department’s proposal.”
