Oppn puts NMC in troubled waters during GB meeting

Nagpur: The opposition parties in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Saturday cornered the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the civic administration’s failure for equal distribution of water.
Mayor Nanda Jichkar had convened the NMC’s special general body meeting to discuss problems of contaminated drinking water supply and water crisis. Corporators from all parties had vociferously raised the issue.

Congress corporators staged a protest against the NMC’s inaction against Orange City Water (OCW), the private agency entrusted with ensuring 24x7 water supply across the city, and water works department officials over contaminated, low pressure and no water supply in many areas.

Accusing the ruling party of having no control over the administration, senior Congress corporator Praful Gudadhe urged the mayor to find out the reason behind citizens’ using booster pumps to draw water instead of taking action against them. “The administration should take similar action against OCW for supplying contaminated and low pressure water,” he said.

Former mayor Pravin Datke opposed Gudadhe’s demand of not taking action against residents using booster pumps. The mayor also asked Gudadhe to sit down as he exceeded time assigned to him to voice his views in the House. This irked Gudadhe and other Congress corporators who then stormed the well of the House.

Mayor adjourned the meeting after Congress corporators turned aggressive and also staged a dharna in front of the well.

The water crisis could not be discussed during the meeting, as the mayor adjourned the meet immediately amid aggressive opposition protest.

The mayor, along with water works committee chairman Pintu Zalke, conducted review meetings at zone levels. She said most of the problems were sorted out at the zonal-level meetings itself. “There were only a handful corporators who raised the water issues in the House,” she explained.

Jichkar ordered the municipal commissioner to inquire into the delay in issuing work orders related to cleaning of wells. Congress corporators Darshana Dhawad, Kamlesh Choudhari, Harish Gwalbanshi claimed that the civic administration has failed to make alternative water arrangements by cleaning wells.

Dhawad accused the water works department of ignoring complaints of Congress corporators. She also cited examples of her request to clean three public wells in her ward since August 2017. “The department not only ignored my request but also cleaned wells when requested by a BJP corporator,” she claimed.

Tanaji Wanve, leader of opposition, slammed the mayor and ruling party leader Sandip Joshi, for adjourning the House on Saturday without discussing water shortage in the city. The Congress leader said that BJP was not interested in discussing the issue, which was of great importance to the city. He said that there were lot of problems in water distribution system of the city. He also ridiculed the mayor of not putting the action taken report of her zone-level review meetings.