Pune: CM Eknath Shinde Dismisses Water Leakage Claims Amidst Ongoing Supply Issues in Pimpri Chinchwad
Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Pimpri Chinchwad, 9th July 2024: As the growing population of Pimpri Chinchwad does not have adequate access to water, residents have faced alternate day water supply for the past four and a half years. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has claimed that there is no water leakage or theft in Pimpri Chinchwad. Bharatiya Janata Party’s Chinchwad MLA Ashwini Jagtap raised a question about the disturbed water supply in the Pimpri Chinchwad.
Jagtap pointed out that the calculation of how much water was supplied by tankers does not match, and that concerned Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) officials are reluctant to provide information. She questioned whether water is being sold to citizens by creating artificial scarcity with the connivance of officials and brokers, benefiting the tanker lobby and unauthorized water sellers.
Jagtap also inquired whether a water audit of all private and PCMC tankers has been conducted, and what actions have been taken against the tanker mafia, contractors, and PCMC officials, including the installation of GPS systems on tankers rented by PCMC.
In response, Chief Minister Shinde stated that water scarcity had arisen in elite settlements, housing societies, commercial complexes, industries, and less developed areas of Pimpri Chinchwad city. Therefore, water was supplied through tankers in 2023-24, with 6,160 rounds made by the tankers. He claimed there was no water leakage in Pimpri Chinchwad and dismissed the need for action against the officials. Meanwhile, PCMC administration officials privately admit that 40% of water leakage has been occurring for the past several years.
