Is water tanker lobby behind canal breach?

PUNE: The inquiry into the breach of the Mutha right bank canal has just got a twist. The State Water Resource Department till date said that rodents may have weakened the foundation of the canal wall, which led to the incident. Now, the department has decided to check the possibility of the water tanker lobby behind the breach.

In a recent government order (dated November 30, 2018), the State Water Resource Department had directed a committee to check whether the tanker lobby had drilled unauthorised borewells along the canal. The committee had been formed to find out the reason behind the breach of the canal and to suggest precautionary measures. It was set up on November 5, almost a month after the incident, which took place on September 27.

The chief superintending engineer of the Pune hydro-electrical project was named its chairman.

Now, two months later, the committee has been asked to probe into two more parameters included in the scope of the inquiry committee. Firstly, the committee has to check the possible role of the water tanker lobby, which may have drilled unauthorised borewells along the canal bank. 

Secondly, the State government has also directed the committee to focus on the activation of the disaster management system after the incident. It wants to know what work was carried out by the system and to find out whether it was right or not. 

The committee has been tasked to find out the cause behind the canal breach, the reasons causing damage to residential areas, to locate dangerous spots along the canal within the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) jurisdiction and suggest precautionary measures, frame guidelines for the maintenance of the canal within the civic body’s limits.

Recently, during the State’s winter Assembly Session, Minister of Water Resource Girish Mahajan stated that rodents may have weakened the foundation of the canal when Parvati MLA Madhuri Misal asked a starred question on the breaching of the canal wall. 

Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Ghole Road Zone Umesh Mali, who is a committee member, said, “The committee has started its work. We conduct spot visits in the areas, through which the canal runs. I came to know that the committee will have to investigate the two aspects of the incident.”

Many parts of Sinhagad Road and areas located from the Sane Guruji School to Dattawadi got inundated after the breach in the canal wall. According to the civic body, 730 people were affected. District Guardian Minister Girish Bapat announced an aid of Rs 3 crore to the affected.