E-Paper
HC directs PMC to ensure tanker water supply in 23 merged villages
The areas under Khadakwasla legislative assembly segment are facing a serious water crisis as neither PMC nor PMRDA is taking the responsibility to supply water to these areas
The Bombay High Court has directed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to supply water to 23 villages by tankers till further arrangements are in place. The order, issued by the court on April 20 and made available on Monday, directed that Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority be made party respondent in the case along with Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and PMC.
Former corporator Dilip Vede Patil through senior advocate SM Gorwadkar and advocate Ritvik Joshi had approached the HC seeking its intervention in their case on behalf of 23 villages.
The order by Judges Abhay Ahuja and AA Sayed stated, “We have other matters also wherein some villages in Maharashtra are facing acute problems of supply of water, including potable water. We request the learned advocate general to appear in the matter on behalf of the state government. In the meanwhile, the respondent corporation shall ensure that the subject 23 villages are supplied water by water tankers until adequate water supply is restored.”
Welcoming the order, Patil said, “The Maharashtra government has erred in giving PMRDA the developmental rights for the 23 newly merged villages. According to the government, PMC will recover taxes while major income earnings under developmental rights stay with the PMRDA. How will infrastructural development take place in the newly merged villages when PMRDA is taking away all the major sources of revenue required for infrastructural development? How will PMC work if it has no funds from developmental charges? To address this situation, we approached the court seeking relief to our water woes pending for a long time.” Patil was the public representative from Bavdhan constituency in PMC. Patil had petitioned on behalf of the villages in Khadakwasla legislative assembly region seeking directions from the high court to ensure water supply to residents of villages and areas of Bavdhan Budruk, Kondhawe- Dhawade, New Kopare, Shivane, Kirkatwadi, Nandoshi, Uttamnagar, Narhe, Dhayari, Ambegaon, Sus and Mhalunge.
The petition also sought to quash the notification dated July 14, 2021 by which PMRDA was appointed as the special planning authority (SPA) for the newly included 23 villages within PMC limits. The writ petition will be heard next on May 4.
The areas under Khadakwasla legislative assembly segment are facing a serious water crisis as neither PMC nor PMRDA is taking the responsibility to supply water to these areas. By virtue of Section 63(20) of The Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, it is the statutory duty of the authority to supply water to residents within their limits.
The Pune police recently resorted to lathi charge to disperse around 200 residents from the merged areas of Mangdewadi, Bhilarewadi, Katraj and other villages, who were agitating near the PMC pumping station at Katraj for three days over lack of potable drinking water and other civic issues. The civic body is also facing flak for its inability to supply potable water to citizens in different areas of eastern Pune for the past two decades.
