The irrigation department has written to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to pay dues of almost ₹700 crore for lifting water from dams.
Rajendra Bhosale, Pune municipal commissioner, said, “We have received the letter and will reply after discussing the unpaid amount with officials.”
A civic official on condition of anonymity said, “How will we manage the municipal expenses if we pay the huge outstanding to the irrigation department? The fund allocation for land acquisition, water projects, sewage treatment plants, riverfront development project, metro project and other mega projects will be hit if the water dues are paid.”
Meanwhile, state water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil at a recent review meeting instructed civic bodies to take steps to recycle water and implement water management measures.