MLC Gajbhiye threatens agitation over water crisis

Nagpur: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLC Prakash Gajbhiye has threatened to launch an agitation against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) if it failed to resolve the water crisis.
In a statement released to the media, MLC Gajbhiye said the civic body has failed to provide drinking water in many areas and not taken precautionary measures like banning construction activities like Metro rail, cement road works to save water.
He claimed that before 2012, the NMC was supplying 540 million litres per day (MLD) water and was billing for 190 MLD. “Today, even after launching 24X7 water supply with 740 MLD per day, over half of the treated water is going down the drain due to leakages,” he said.
As a result, over 440 tankers have been deployed to supply potable water, he pointed out while raising demand to replace all old pipelines.
“Instead of spending taxpayers’ money in Metro rail project and cement road works, the BJP ruled NMC has never given a thought to strengthening the drinking water system and sewer network,” he said.