PMC gets notice for payment of Rs 27 lakh

PUNE: The District Collectorate has issued notices to PMC Water Supply Department for payment of royalty of Rs 27 lakh for illegal mining in Parvati Middle Level Reservoir (MLR) project for 24x7 water supply project. Another two notices were also issued by Pune District collectorate to the PMC and the corporation submitted a written explanation about not paying royalty as per section 7 of Maharashtra Land Revenue (Amendment) Code, 1966. 

Under the 24x7 uninterrupted water supply project, the PMC decided to build overhead water tanks across the city. There are 103 overhead water tanks under the scheme. However, the PMC has given priority to 82 overhead tanks. 

The PMC awarded a contract to Larsen & Turbo (L&T) in September 2016 . The total project is Rs 245 crore. The capacity of the water tank varies from minimum 10 lakh litre to a maximum 90 lakh litre. Under this project, L&T started construction of Middle Level Reservoirs (MLR) and Higher Level Reservoirs (HLR) works and so they are digging up land and removing debris. 

However, the Pune District Collector’s mining branch issued a notice to them to pay Rs 27 lakh as royalty to the State government for extraction of minerals in February 2020 in Parvati SLR work. The notices were sent to the PMC as well as L&T. 

PMC Superintendent Engineer of Water Supply Department Nandkumar Jagtap said, “We have received notices for three works. According to the law, if we or the contractor transport minerals to other areas, we have to pay royalty to the State government. However, we are using minerals for work and not transporting minerals for other work. In two SLR works, we are not eligible to pay royalty, but in Parvati SLR work, we will have to pay royalty to the State government and we will pay in the coming days.”