Too early to roll back water cuts: Uddhav

Appealing to Mumbaiites to use water “cautiously, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday visited Tansa and Modak Sagar lakes in Thane district. HT reports

Appealing to Mumbaiites to use water “cautiously, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday visited Tansa and Modak Sagar lakes in Thane district.

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Accompanied by his wife, Rashmi, mayor Shraddha Jadhav and top civic officials, Thackeray reviewed the water levels in the two lakes.

“There is 32 per cent less water stock than the required quantity and so, immediate withdrawal of cuts will not be possible. We will have to wait and pray for more regular rainfall,” Thackeray said. The saffron alliance ruled municipal corporation will know about the water situation in the city only after the monsoon ends in September or October and then will decide on the cuts, he said.

When asked about the status of the water projects for the city, Thackeray said: “The Sena had promised to complete the Pinjar and Gargai water projects in Thane district, but our party did not win the elections and we can only demand this from the state government.”

He added that the municipal corporation was developing the Middle Vaitarna dam, which would be complete by 2012.

He admitted that the increasing number of malaria patients was worrying. “The municipal corporation has put up tents outside civic hospitals to accommodate patients.”

Criticising the municipal commissioner, Thackeray said the corporation needs a “team leader and an efficient officer” to bail it out of the malaria crisis.

Using the 1994 plague epidemic in Surat as his case, he said, “It was a commissioner named Rao who had launched a cleanliness drive and changed the face of Surat. We expect that from our commissioner too.”