Pune: Failure To Provide Timely Affidavit Regarding Water Issue; Court Warns PMC Of Punitive Action
Pune, 17th December 2022: As the citizens of the districts under the jurisdiction of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Zilla Parishad, and other local bodies are facing the problem of water scarcity, the court ordered all these bodies to file an affidavit by Tuesday (December 13).
However, except for Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), other systems did not file the affidavit within the deadline. The Bombay High Court has taken note of it and the court has warned of punitive action. The last chance to file the affidavit has been given till January 3.
Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and many organizations in the district have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court regarding the water shortage in the district. The petition has been filed through Adv Satya Mule.
The said petition is against the Central Government, Central Ground Water Board, Water Resources Department, Maharashtra Life Authority, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), PCMC, PMRDA, and Zilla Parishad.
Despite abundant rains for the past three to four years, residents of the district are facing water shortages. In that regard, local NGOs and residents’ associations have held meetings with the local authority and given statements. But there has been no improvement in the water supply. There is no policy to protect and regulate the abstraction of water through borewells.
Therefore, it has been demanded through the petition that 135 liters of water should be supplied to the people immediately through the water channel or any other alternative methods.
Petitioner’s lawyer Adv Satya Mule informed, “During the last hearing on the petition, the court ordered the municipal corporations and other government agencies to file an affidavit by December 13. But only PCMC submitted an affidavit within the deadline. Other agencies have warned of punitive action for non-submission of the affidavit and the last chance to submit an affidavit has been given.”
