The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued notices to 41 housing societies for defunct sewage treatment plants (STPs); a move strongly criticised by the residents of these societies, who have demanded that action be taken instead against the developers who installed defunct and inferior-quality STPs.
Upon finding defunct STPs in housing societies at Wakad, Punawala, Akurdi, Ravet, Jadhav Wadi, Moshi, Chikhali, Wadmukh Wadi and Dudulgaon among others, the PCMC issued notices to 41 such societies in the past four days warning them of cutting the water supply if they did not make the STPs functional. The civic body even told these societies that they would be penalised for keeping defunct STPs.
Irked by the PCMC’s move, the Chikhali-Moshi Pimpri-Chinchwad Housing Societies’ Federation (CMPCHSF) on Friday wrote to PCMC commissioner, Shekhar Singh, calling the decision unjust. The CMPCHSF demanded that action be taken instead against developers for providing defunct and inferior-quality STPs and against the civic officials who issued completion certificates to such developers.
“Over 90% of the STPs installed by developers in the twin city projects are defunct but the PCMC still gave completion letters to such developers and builders. The remaining plants are of inferior quality. The citizens in the past had brought this to the attention of the PCMC but no action was taken. Rather than taking action against developers, the civic body is targeting the hapless citizens,” Sanjeevan Sangale, chairman of CMPCHSF said. “We are not against the decision to keep the STPs functional but action should be taken against the guilty developers and not the innocent citizens,” he said.
Sandeep Tandale, chairman of Sahil Fortune Housing Society, said that the developer of the society had handed over the STP to them five years ago which was functional only on paper. “The capacity of the plant is less and we need a bigger plant. The entire plant has been non-functional and rusted for the past five years but the civic body has woken up only now. The PCMC should have checked it before issuing the completion certificate. Even the rainwater harvesting system installed by the developer is non-functional,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Sandeep Tandale, chairman of Sahil Fortune Housing Society, said that the developer of the society had handed over the STP to them five years ago which was functional only on paper. “The capacity of the plant is less and we need a bigger plant. The entire plant has been non-functional and rusted for the past five years but the civic body has woken up only now. The PCMC should have checked it before issuing the completion certificate. Even the rainwater harvesting system installed by the developer is non-functional,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Vijay Khorate, additional commissioner of the PCMC, said that in the past few days, they have started taking action against housing societies with defunct STPs. Following this, notices have been served to housing societies with defunct STPs. “We are firm on the decision that the STPs should be functional. If the citizens have any issues, the civic body will look into it. However, no excuse will be accepted to keep the STPs non-functional,” he said.