Nagpur: Maharashtra water resources minister and state president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Jayant Patil on Monday assured former party corporator Vedprakash Arya of a state-level probe by the urban development department into privatizing water supply in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
Arya had staged a dharna outside NMC premises in Civil Lines demanding scrapping of Orange City Water Limited’s contract. He ended his fast following assurance from Patil who was accompanied by home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Arya has been claiming since 2012 (when the NMC had entrusted OCWL to launch the 24X7 water supply) that it was a loss deal for the civic body. Till 2010-2011, when NMC was operating the city’s water supply system, the civic body had made a profit of Rs3 crore from drinking water supply.
In the NMC, the BJP entrusted OCW with the job on the basis of its majority in the House. “All the terms and conditions of the contract were made to benefit the private firm. Since 2012, NMC has incurred a loss of Rs562 crore. Besides this, NMC is increasing the water rate by 5% per annum to benefit OCW,” Arya told the minister.
Many areas were getting water supply for just 30 minutes. Some localities were even receiving contaminated water and 24X7 water supply project claimed by Devendra Fadnavis remained a distant dream despite expenditure to the tune of crores of rupees sanctioned by the Central and state governments, alleged Arya.
The demand to stop the annual water rate hike by 5% will also be inquired into by the department as it was okayed by it before appointing the firm.
Patil later asked the civic chief to look into the issues related to contaminated water and low pressure supply raised by Arya.