PUNE: Even after Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) held multiple awareness drives and consultations with locals, residents are still showing reluctance to let PMC install automatic water meters under the regular and equitable water supply scheme. Considering the hesitance of the general public, the civic body has now decided to get police help while installing water meters.
PMC planned the 24x7 water supply project for the regular and equitable distribution across the city excluding the newly 34 merged villages. For the last five years, the PMC administration has been claiming political opposition and misconceptions about the project are causing major hurdles in its implementation. Property owners, according to PMC authorities, are also refusing to cooperate in the installation of water meters.
One of the senior officials of the water supply department of PMC said, “The civic authorities have faced issues where some people removed the installed meters. Many residents with vested interests also opposed the process. These people wanted to gain political mileage by stopping the project.”
Nandkumar Jagtap, chief superintendent of the Water Supply Department, PMC, said, “We have completed major work of laying transmission line in the city areas. Now, we have concentrated on the main components of installation of the water meter as early as possible as the deadline has come closer.”
He further said, “Contractors are facing problems with the installation of water in Peth areas, Sahakarnagar, Dhanakwadi, and parts of the Katraj area. Normally, residents cooperate with us but some vested interest people, especially political party workers, are creating obstacles. So, we decided to get the help of the police. We are going to take police protection from the local police station. Besides that, we have instructed officials to file police complaints of the offence of assaults or criminal forces to deter a public servant from discharging his duty under IPC section 353.”
{{/usCountry}}He further said, “Contractors are facing problems with the installation of water in Peth areas, Sahakarnagar, Dhanakwadi, and parts of the Katraj area. Normally, residents cooperate with us but some vested interest people, especially political party workers, are creating obstacles. So, we decided to get the help of the police. We are going to take police protection from the local police station. Besides that, we have instructed officials to file police complaints of the offence of assaults or criminal forces to deter a public servant from discharging his duty under IPC section 353.”
{{/usCountry}}As per the detailed project report (DPR) of the 24x7 project, consultants estimated 3.18 lakh water meters to be installed including domestic and commercial consumers in the city.
However, during the latest consumer survey, the numbers have gone down to 2.39 lakh water meters. Out of these, PMC has installed 1.34 lakh meters so far.
The civic body initiated the 24x7 equitable water scheme to resolve the problem of irregular and insufficient water supply in the city.
The project was approved in February 2018 with a total project cost of ₹2,550 crore, of which, ₹200 crore were raised by the civic body through bonds.