Pawar to hold meeting on water quota for Pune city

PUNE: Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar will call a meeting on city’s drinking water quota after the irrigation department sought to reduce the allocation from Khadakwasla reservoir.

With the city receiving an additional 2.5 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) water supply from Bhama Askhed dam, the irrigation department has demanded to reduce the existing water quota from Khadakwasla dam and allot it to rural areas.

Pawar said, “The irrigation department officials met me before the inauguration of Bhama Askhed water project and gave the proposal to reduce water supply from Khadakwasla dam. We would call a meeting on it that will be attended by MLAs from city and rural parts in the next fifteen days to arrive at an amicable decision.”

Pawar said, “I am not for cutting water supply for the city as its population is increasing. With the 24×7 water scheme being executed and additional supply from Bhama Askhed dam, water will be saved. We are trying to process maximum water through sewage treatment plants. After the grampanchayat elections, a decision would be taken on it by calling a separate meeting with all stakeholders.”

BJP city unit president Chandrakant Patil said, “There is always a conflict between rural and urban areas over water supply. PMC has asked for additional water quota from Khadakwasla dam for the 23 villages merged within the PMC limits. The guardian minister must call a meeting on it and all leaders must need to address the issue.”

Pawar said the Bhama Askhed project will put an end to the tanker mafia in the eastern parts of the city.

It’s Maharashtra’s tradition to join hands in development projects

Ajit Pawar and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sharing the dais for the second time after their oath ceremony became a talking point in political and media circles. Fadnavis said, “It’s Maharashtra’s tradition that all parties come together for development projects by keeping their political agenda aside. Yet, the media unnecessarily discusses the issue. Now we have got the trick that if we want to be in media Pawar and me must need to visit each other’s home for tea.”

Pawar assured Fadnavis in his speech that they would share the stage repeatedly. Pawar said, “Since the former chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan, it’s tradition that all parties and leaders must come together for development works.”

Fadnavis bats for HCMTR

Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has appealed to Ajit Pawar to look into the high capacity mass transit route (HCMTR) project in the city as it is important along with the metro project. He said that industries around Pune should use treated water generated through sewage treatment plants instead of dam waters.

The dam project is important for the city

At least 12 lakh residents living in the eastern parts of the city would benefit from the Bhama Askhed project. Eastern parts of the city mainly Vimannagar, Vadgaon Sheri, Ahmednagar Road areas, Dhanori and Kalyaninagar were facing water scarcity. Many housing societies were paying huge money on water tankers. PMC has designed the pipeline in a way that water flows directly through gravity and no pumping is needed to bringing water to the city from the dam located at a distance of about 50 kms.

Ban electricity generation from Mulshi dam

Pawar said that a plan should be made to ban hydroelectricity generation from Mulshi dam. The Mulshi dam water is controlled by Tata Power, which utilises the water for hydroelectricity generation. The hydropower project is located in Bhira, where the water is released directly into the sea after power generation. A committee was appointed during the BJP rule to study the project and its report is awaited. “The water from Mulshi dam should be utilised for Pune city and rural parts for irrigation purposes,” he said.

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