PUNE: The amnesty scheme of the civic body to regularise illegal water connections has found only 130 takers, nearly four months after its announcement. In contrast, the civic areas have around 2 lakh such illegal water taps.
According to civic officials, the majority of these illegal connections are located in slum pockets. “We face a lot of hurdles while disconnecting illegal water taps due to political pressure. Even so, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) snapped some illegal connections, but the property owners took illegal water connections again,” said a senior civic official.
Officials added that the amnesty scheme was intended to reduce illegal water taps, bring down water leakages and improve water supply management. Under the initiative, property owners can get an existing water connection regularized by paying a fine of Rs4,000.
However, civic activists pointed out that the administration needs to go the extra mile to deal with this issue. They highlighted that property owners, who are diligently paying tax, are suffering due to illegal water connections.
Agreeing to this, Kothrud resident Ashwini Pathak said, “Despite paying tax regularly, we suffer from water supply issues. But those with illegal connections enjoy good water supply. It is unfair to us.”
This is not the first time PMC has announced an amnesty scheme for illegal water connections. In 2021, such a scheme was launched, appealing to citizens with illegal water connections to pay a one-time penalty and get their taps regularised. But at the time, only 500 individuals came forward to benefit from the scheme, and not a single commercial establishment took part.
PMC officials explained that the administration had certain riders during the first amnesty scheme — connections only in legal properties were considered for regularisation. However, for the latest scheme, even this mandate has been removed.
Now, ward-wise PMC teams have been formed to identify illegal water taps and urge residents to regularise them. Till date, 835 illegal connections have been snapped.
The civic official added, “Illegal properties and slums are considered a priority while checking for illegal water connections.”
Simultaneously, PMC also checks out complaints of low-pressure water supply. These locations are identified for detection of illegal water taps, which if found are disconnected. Residents are also encouraged to come forward and lodge complaints about unauthorised water taps, which will then be verified.
However, Vijay Kumbhar of Surajya Sangharsha Samiti, a citizens’ group, said PMC lacks the will to act against illegal water connections. “Civic officials don’t want to take strict action against illegal water taps. They prefer to ignore these offences, which ultimately helps such connections increase. There is a total lack of deterrence,” he said.
Source Homevior.in
