PUNE: Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar has ordered the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to initiate criminal proceedings against developers who do not fulfill their commitments regarding water affidavits submitted during building permit applications.
This directive was given in a meeting that included representatives from about 250 housing societies across Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, and PMRDA regions, where serious concerns about water scarcity were raised.
Pulkundwar instructed local bodies to publish all water affidavits from developers on their websites within a week, ensuring these documents are available for public scrutiny and potential legal actions.
The commissioner expressed frustration over the absence of the municipal commissioners and the PMRDA chief at the mandatory bi-monthly meeting set by the Bombay High Court to address the water crisis. He stated, “There will be no further meetings unless all commissioners are present.” He emphasized the necessity for civic leaders to join these discussions, noting that effective decisions cannot be made without their involvement. “FIRs should indeed be filed against non-compliant developers, and we will track this in our next meeting,” he stated.
Advocate Satya Muley noted that representatives from all housing societies would be filing complaints with local bodies. “Both the local bodies and societies can pursue legal action if developers fail to deliver on their water commitments,” he said.
Muley also mentioned that making these affidavits public would empower residents to take action. He plans to send legal notices to the absentee officers and urged PMC, PCMC, and PMRDA to hold separate monthly meetings to tackle operational issues. He warned of possible contempt petitions if residents do not see improvements, despite the special committee having convened six times over the past year.
Concerns were raised about the tanker mafia, including exorbitant charges and the delivery of contaminated water. Local representatives assured that FIRs would be filed against tanker operators found guilty of supplying polluted water.
Residents from multiple areas under PCMC, including NIBM Annexe, Undri, Pargenagar, Bavdhan Budruk, Kharadi, and Balewadi, submitted written complaints.
Ashish Ingale, chairman of Majestique Rhythm County, stated that their society of 708 flats requires 1,400 tankers monthly. “If immediate action isn’t taken, we will boycott the upcoming PMC elections,” he warned.
Sachin Siddhe from Ravet called on civic bodies to publish data regarding household water supply and investigate illegal connections.
Shilpa Patil from Margosa Heights in Undri remarked that although water supply improves temporarily after meetings, they only receive water for an hour each day for 1,000 flats, which is severely inadequate.
Nandkishore Jagtap, head of the PMC water department, who attended the meeting, assured that names of defaulting developers will be made public, legal notices issued, and FIRs eventually filed. He indicated that a WhatsApp group will be established to enhance coordination between civic officials and housing society representatives before the next meeting.
Pulkundwar also asked Muley to support societies in filing FIRs and pursuing criminal charges against developers who violate water affidavit conditions.
