No water in Khadakwasla: Bombay HC seeks reply from PMC, PMRDA

The petition also sought to quash the notification by which the PMRDA was appointed as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for the newly included 23 villages within PMC limits

PUNE The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Metropolitan and Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) to file their reply within two weeks while hearing a writ petition filed on behalf of Dilip Vedepatil on behalf of the villages in Khdakavasla legislative assembly region to ensure water supply to residents of Bavdhan Budruk, Kondhawe- Dhawade, New Kopare, Shivane, Kirkatwadi, Nandoshi, Uttamnagar, Narhe, Dhayari, Ambegaon, Sus and Mhalunge.

The areas under Khadakwasla legislative assembly segment are facing a serious water crisis as neither the PMC nor the PMRDA is taking the responsibility to supply water to these areas (HT FILE PHOTO)

The petition also sought to quash the notification dated July 14, 2021 by which the PMRDA was appointed as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for the newly included 23 villages within PMC limits. The writ petition was heard by the division bench of Justice A A Sayyed and Justice Abhay Ahuja. Senior Advocate SM Gorwadkar and Adv Ritvik Joshi appeared for the petitioners while Adv Abhijeet Kulkarni appeared for the Municipal Corporation. The petition will be heard next on May 5.

The areas under Khadakwasla legislative assembly segment are facing a serious water crisis as neither the PMC nor the 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. At this juncture, neither the PMC i.e the Planning Authority nor the PMRDA i e the Special Planning Authority is taking the responsibility to supply these areas with water. This situation has left the residents of these areas high and dry without any water supply. The residents currently are paying for the water tankers by themselves, the petition stated.

The Pune police on Tuesday resorted to lathicharge 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 the last three days over lack of potable drinking water and other civic issues. A number of areas from Wagholi, Kharadi up to Mohammadwadi in eastern Pune are without water, where residents have been staging demonstrations and requesting PMC to put an end to the annual water tanker economy which is over ₹200 crore. Residents allege that the private water tanker mafia has been operating with the connivance of PMC administration as it does not want government water infrastructure to be created in the water deficient areas of Pune for the past two decades.