PMC seeks intervention from State govt

Pune: Despite the State government’s decision to pay the compensation to Bhama-Askhed project affected people and waive off ‘irrigation rehabilitation charges’ of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Water Resource Department is insisting that the civic body pay the rehabilitation charges and is delaying signing the contract with PMC to provide water from the Bhama-Askhed dam. 

Now, the civic body has sent a letter to the State government to instruct Water Resource Department to sign the contract with them. The Water Resource Department is seeking charges of Rs 191 crore, which the PMC is not willing to pay. The dispute over the funds has halted the signing of the contract. 

However, before Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted a meeting and it was decided to waive off irrigation rehabilitation charges of Rs 191 crore. The PMC will pay Rs 15 lakh per hectare compensation amount to the people affected due to Bhama-Askhed project. 

But, the State Water Resource Department is not in the mood to listen. They want a written order from the chief minister’s office. 

Hence, Pune Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao has sent a letter to the State Government’s Principal Secretary of Chief Minister Office (CMO) and requested them to hand over Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis meeting minutes about the decision of waive off irrigation rehabilitation charges for Bhama-Askhed water project of the PMC. 

PMC’s Superintendent Engineer from Water Supply Department Pravin Gedam, said, “Now when we asked the Water Resource Department to sign a contract to supply 2.64 TMC water annually from Bhama-Askhed dam, they said that they have not received any written order from the chief minister’s office regarding waiving off rehabilitation charges. So, if we pay charges, then only they will sign the contract.”

The PMC has completed about 80 per cent work pertaining to the project so far. The project includes building jack well, pumping station and laying 42-km pipeline between the dam site and the city.  Once the project is complete, the city will receive 2.64 TMC water annually. The water brought through the pipeline will be stored in the tanks around Ahmednagar Road.