Shashwat Mishra – Mumbai Uncensored, 22nd January 2022
Two residents of Ghodbunder district have served legal notice to Thane Municipal Corporation for the water crisis faced by the residents of the locality. According to the two residents, the municipal corporation has failed to complete its promise made to the High court in 2017 wherein it had promised to form a committee to look into the water crisis of Ghodbunder district, following which the court had permitted to give a go ahead to the development works on the road that were stopped for over a year due to the water crisis.
The residents, Dattatray Ghadage, resident of Manorama Nagar and Madhu Narayananunni, resident of Kavesar, have asked the corporation to form a committee within seven days and conduct a meeting or else they would be filing a contempt petition in the High Court against the municipal corporation. The excerpt of the notice states, “The court, while disposing of the petition, had asked the civic body to form a committee with concerned officials to discuss the water woes and create public awareness of such a committee. The TMC has formed no such committee and it has also failed to supply adequate water to this suburb. Issuing Commencement Certificate to new constructions will affect the right of the existing tax paying citizen to adequate water.”
One of the officials from the water department on the other hand says, that they haven’t received the notice yet, he said, “We have not yet received the letter. However, we provide 100MLD of water to the Ghodbunder area, which is sufficient to meet the water requirement of this area.”
The matter dates back to the year 2016 when the aforementioned residents filed a PIL in the High Court regarding water cuts due to the poor planning of the civic body for construction on the Ghodbunder road, the High Court took cognizance of the matter and had stalled the construction works along the Ghodbunder road, following which, the High Court directed the civic body to file an affidavit, stating the data of water connections and water supply management of the body. Following this the civic body filed its reply and eventually in 2017 the High Court disposed off the petition by imposing certain conditions to be fulfilled by the Thane Municipal Corporation.
