PUNE: Around 125 housing societies in PMC and PMRDA areas have written to the local authorities, citing water supply shortage and dependency on tankers.
Committee members of housing societies are awaiting a solution to the issue as a meeting has been scheduled with Pune Divisional Commissioner by the end of this week as per directions of Bombay High Court.
Lawyer Satya Muley, who has been representing housing societies in a PIL on the same issue, said that a special committee, formed under the direction of Bombay High Court to address water scarcity-related complaints, has met only 3 times till now.
“Of these three meetings, 2 were for framing internal agenda for coordination purposes. Now, 125 large societies and housing complexes have come forward with their written complaints,” Muley said
He, however, said that the main purpose of the committee is not yet visible on the ground as most people are not aware of the committee and its role.
Muley said that the special committee has been mandated to give wide publicity to its functioning and publicly invite water scarcity-related grievances from PMC, PCMC and PMRDA. “Further, it is seen that no permanent solution is being offered nor sustainable arrangements made to supply water to housing complexes, which are spending a lot of money to purchase water from private water tanker suppliers. Water affidavits taken from builders are only encouraging tanker mafias,” he added
Societies from Mohammedwadi to PCMC and PMC areas in their mails have highlighted how the maximum portion of their maintenance amount is spent on buying water from tankers.
A resident of Undri said, “Even though the meeting is scheduled, we are not hopeful of any solution to our water woes.”
Pune divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar on Tuesday confirmed that he would chair the meeting and come up with solutions to the issues. “I would first conduct the hearing and then suggest necessary measures to address the problem,” he said
Another complainant, while giving the detailed break-up of the amount spent towards buying water tankers, said that the PMC should ensure that they supply water through normal water lines or ensure that tankers are supplied free to their society. “PMC has given sanction to the building plan and it is its duty to supply water,” he said.