PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued notices to 41 housing societies for not making their own sewage treatment plants (STP) functional. They have also been warned that they will face disconnection of their water supply from December 11.
The move comes after these societies failed to respond to notices issued by the civic body in the past, urging them to activate their respective STPs.
On the other hand, housing societies’ federations warned that they will move the court against the municipal corporation if such action is taken. Some housing societies’ associations have also blamed the PCMC for giving building completion certificates to projects despite them not having their STPs functional.
According to a notification issued by the Union ministry of environment and climate change in 2016, it is mandatory to treat sewage water and reuse it at the construction site for any project larger than 20,000 square metres. As per the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) for Maharashtra, it is mandatory for constructions on 10,000 sqm and more to reuse water using grey water treatment. There is also a provision in the UDCPR under which the civic body can cut water supply of societies that fail to reuse treated water, PCMC additional municipal commissioner Vijay Khorate stated in a release.The civic body had earlier appointed a consultant agency to inspect the implementation of rules for STPs at private housing societies across the city. The agency had reported a list of societies that were not complying with rules and accordingly, notices were initially served to them. Many of these societies even activated their STP plants, but 41 of them failed to give a positive response. As a result, their water connection may be disconnected from December 11, added Khorate.
“We have given enough time to these societies to activate their STP plants but some have not responded, due to which we have decided to take action as per the rules. The housing societies must activate their STP plants to avoid such consequences,” Khorate told TOI.
The Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation has objected to this move. “Water is a basic requirement of a society or person. The municipal corporation had issued similar notices last year as well, but when we threatened to lodge a case against them, they withdrew the decision to cut water supply. However, this time, we will not consult them and approach the court directly if they cut the water supply of any housing society in Pimpri Chinchwad,” said Dattatray Deshmukh, chairman of the federation.
Several housing societies and NGOs had recently sent a legal notice to PCMC, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) over the water crisis being faced by residents. The bodies had failed to constitute a committee to resolve the same, despite directions by the Bombay High Court, the legal notice stated. The housing societies have alleged that the PCMC’s action is probably a reaction to that notice.
Sanjeevan Sangale, president, Chikhali Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation, said, “Action needs to be taken instead against the building and environment departments of PCMC, and builders who constructed these buildings, because many societies were given building completion certificates by PCMC despite knowing that their STP plants were not functional. The citizens living in these societies are not responsible for the builder’s fault.”
He added, “We had raised an issue through a letter to the municipal commissioner about at least 30 builders, who had not provided good quality STPs to housing societies. However, there has been no action. On the other hand, they want to cut water supply to people. We will not let them do it and will go to any extent to protest.”
