Pune: PCMC Halts Water Supply Disconnection Amidst Resident Protests
Pimpri-Chinchwad, 14th December 2023: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has temporarily suspended its campaign to sever water connections of housing societies facing nonfunctional Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) following strong objections from residents concerned about potential disruptions in their water supply.
Earlier, the civic body had issued warnings to 41 societies with dysfunctional STPs, threatening to take action starting from December 11. However, a collective protest from residents, who argued that builders failed to provide functional STPs during the handover, prompted a pause in the enforcement.
Ranjeet Magdum, Chairman of Alpine Aura Society in Moshi, with 247 flats, shared his experience, stating, “PCMC officials arrived to cut the water supply to our society. We explained that our STP plant is non-operational due to a damaged panel. We requested the civic officials to grant us time to rectify the issue, as MSEDCL officials are already working to fix it.”
Magdum further alleged, “The builder only provisioned STPs for two out of the four wings in our project, yet it received the completion certificate from PCMC.”
Out of the 335 residential complexes under PCMC jurisdiction, 80 initially faced issues with nonfunctional STPs. The PCMC’s initial notice earlier this year prompted many societies to address the problem, and currently, only 41 remain on the list of defaulters.
An official from the PCMC’s environment department clarified, “Only five out of the 41 societies have reported that the builder provided them with non-functional STPs. Consequently, we are issuing notices to the respective builders and have temporarily suspended action against these five societies pending responses from both builders and residents.”
Acknowledging requests for additional time from some societies, the PCMC has decided to halt its enforcement for eight to 10 days. The authorities plan to resume action after the extended period, emphasizing the importance of addressing the issue promptly for the welfare of the community.
