PMC may discontinue building permissions in exchange for water affidavits submitted by developers

Residents of Ambegaon Khurd highlighted the inadequate water supply in their area and the tremendous hardship faced by households on a daily basis

As several builders and developers have reportedly failed to honour the water affidavits submitted to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) at the time of obtaining building permissions, the civic body is likely to stop giving building permissions to builders and developers in exchange for water affidavits; officials said.

A meeting regarding the city’s water situation was held at the PMC office on Friday. (HT PHOTO)

The matter was discussed during a high-level meeting regarding the city’s water situation held at the PMC on Friday. The meeting was headed by additional municipal commissioner Pavneet Kaur and saw a strong turnout from residents of Ambegaon Budruk/Khurd, Bibwewadi, Kirkitwadi, Narhe, Nanded, Jambhulwadi, Bhilarwadi, Nandoshi, Khadakwasla, Sanasnagar, Dhankawadi and the adjoining areas. The meeting is part of a series of meetings being held in the city following the orders of the Bombay High Court issued in April 2023 while hearing PIL 126/2023 filed by residents over urban water problems.

During the meeting, a resident of Ambegaon Khurd highlighted the inadequate water supply in their area and the tremendous hardship faced by households on a daily basis. She said residents are forced to rely on private tankers, which has created ‘a parallel and unsafe tanker economy’ in the area. She added that rash driving by private tanker operators has resulted in frequent accidents and traffic congestion, putting lives at risk.

Advocate Satya Muley, representing the residents of Pune, raised the issue of the earlier policy decision to discontinue water affidavits. He pointed out that despite deciding to discontinue water affidavits, the practice continues and has led to exploitation of citizens. Responding to this, additional commissioner Kaur said that a circular officially ending the water affidavit system will be issued soon.

Advocate Muley also demanded that the PMC immediately publish a list of all water affidavits collected from builders and developers so far such that legal action can be taken against those who have failed to provide the water infrastructure as promised. PMC officials agreed to this demand during the meeting.

During the meeting, PMC water department head Nandkishore Jagtap claimed that the aforementioned areas are “the least affected regions (in terms of water scarcity)” due to their proximity to dams and water bodies. However, residents strongly disagreed saying that many pockets in their localities do not even have water pipelines and are among the worst affected in the city.