Pune: Special Committee Proposes Email Mechanism For Water Scarcity Complaints In PMC And PCMC Areas
Pune, 22nd February 2024: In response to the escalating water scarcity crisis in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), a special committee convened under the directives of Bombay High Court met on 21st February (Wednesday) at the Pune Divisional Commissioner’s Office.
Attendees of the meeting included Poonam Mehta (Joint Commissioner, Pune Divisional Commissioner Office), Nandkishor Jagtap (Chief Engineer of water supply department of PMC), and Indrabhan Randive (Superintending Engineer, PMC).
The primary agenda of the meeting was to establish a cohesive and mutually acceptable procedure for conducting future committee meetings. The aim is to streamline the process of addressing water scarcity issues and enhance the responsiveness to public grievances. Recognizing the practical challenges faced by housing complexes in sending representatives, a mechanism for receiving complaints via email was proposed.
Key points discussed during the meeting included:
1. Email Mechanism: PMC and PCMC will publish dedicated email addresses to receive water scarcity complaints from housing societies, apartments, and complexes.
2. Separate Meetings: PMC and PCMC committed to conducting separate monthly meetings to specifically address the complaints received.
3. Bi-Monthly Meetings: A bi-monthly meeting involving PMC, PCMC, and citizens’ representatives, presided over by the Divisional Commissioner’s Office, will be conducted to address unresolved issues from the monthly meetings.
4. PMRDA Mechanism: PMRDA will establish a similar mechanism to address water scarcity complaints in its region.
5. Advance Notice: Authorities will provide at least a four-day advance notice for upcoming meetings.
6. Legal Compliance: The participation of the Member Secretary of the District Legal Aid Services Authority will be ensured to comply with Bombay High Court’s orders.
The current water scarcity situation was extensively discussed, emphasizing the oppressive conditions faced by housing complexes during the summer. Issues such as exorbitant expenses on water tankers, unchecked polluted water, and resulting health problems, especially among vulnerable populations, were highlighted.
Pushkar Kulkarni, social worker from Pashan, underscored the necessity for PMC and PCMC to provide water through tankers if existing infrastructure falls short.
Advocate Satya Muley urged discontinuation of the practice of taking water affidavits from builders, citing its contribution to the growth of water tanker mafias. PMRDA was urged to implement a grievance redressal procedure within its jurisdiction.
“The proposed arrangement shall facilitate the capturing of the complaints. Housing complexes must now come forward and send their water scarcity related complaints via emails. We shall compile a report about complaints and action taken by the respective corporations and submit it to Bombay High Court”, Muley added.
The committee, formed in response to PIL 126 of 2022, filed by various NGOs from the PMC, PCMC, and PMRDA regions, includes key officials like the Divisional Commissioner, Municipal Commissioners of PMC and PCMC, and Chief Engineers of Water Supply departments.
To facilitate complaints, PMC and PCMC have created dedicated email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected], respectively.
