PUNE: While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is struggling to supply water to the 34 newly merged villages due to lack of supply network and insufficient drinking water, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has been assigned the responsibility of supplying water to over 40 villages outside 5 km of the PMC limits within the PMRDA limits for new housing projects. As a result, the PMRDA has revoked the water supply commitment from developers for new housing projects.
PMRDA revokes water supply commitment from developers for new housing projects in 23 merged villages and areas outside 5 km of PMC limits.
PMRDA commissioner Yogesh Mhase on Monday issued a new circular cancelling the previous order that sought an affidavit from developers ensuring water supply to residents. The new directive stated that new constructions in the 23 newly merged villages and those outside 5 km of the PMC limits within the PMRDA limits will not need a water supply guarantee from local bodies.
The new order said that the PMRDA oversees around 814 villages where proposals for development permissions or occupancy certificates are submitted to the authority. To ensure availability of water in these villages, instructions have already been issued. Among these villages, 23 are now under the jurisdiction of the PMC. It is then the PMC’s responsibility to provide water and other necessary facilities to these villages. To support this, 75% of the development fees collected by the PMRDA from these villages is transferred to the PMC.
The order further stated, “Additionally, outside 5 km of the PMC limits within the PMRDA limits, the concerned municipal corporation is required to supply water. In light of these requirements, previous orders have been set aside and new directives have been issued. For the 23 villages within the limits of the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations as well as areas within 5 km of these municipal limits.”
Sunil Marle, director of town planning at PMRDA, said, “According to the state government directives, municipal corporations are responsible for supplying water in areas within 5 km of the municipal limits or within the PMRDA’s jurisdiction. We are currently issuing building permissions for 23 villages. Developers no longer need to submit an affidavit from local bodies for water supply when applying for building permission. This rule now also applies to constructions outside 5 km of the PMC and PCMC limits within the PMRDA’s jurisdiction.”
Prasana Joshi, superintendent engineer of the water supply department of the PMC, said, “We are already struggling to supply water to the 23 newly merged villages. How can we supply water to villages outside the 5 km limit of PMC?”
The PMRDA order also stated that for other areas, cases seeking occupancy certificates that have been approved based on Gram Panchayat certificates or developers’ water supply assurances will need to be submitted to the executive committee (EC) for guidance on further action. Additionally, proposals should be submitted to the engineering department for preparing water supply plans for these cases.
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Image credit : Hindu
