The Indian Express     05.09.2012

Records of 35,000 water meters go missing, PCMC will probe

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has found that the
civic record books have no mention of as many as 35,000 water meters
reportedly installed by a private firm in Pimpri-Chinchwad. The civic
administration has decided to launch a search to ascertain whether water
meters were actually installed or not.

Municipal Commissioner Dr Shrikar Pardeshi said he was not aware
about the entire installation process until Monday. “I have decided to
enquire into the matter. I have asked officials to find out the
whereabouts of the meters,” he said. Dr Pardeshi said he has also
decided to find why clauses regarding repairing of meters and
distribution of bills by private parties were dropped from the
agreement. A civic official said this was done without anybody’s
knowledge.

PCMC executive engineer Sharad Jadhav said meter system was
implemented during the tenure of former municipal commissioner Dilip
Band in 2006. “The then civic chief had ordered that water meters for
all water connections be installed by a private firm,” he said.
Accordingly, meters were installed, but since PCMC does not keep records
of illegal water lines, the civic administration has no record of the
water meters installed for such lines. “We are tying to find out about
the water meters…Our officials are certain that the meters were
installed,” Jadhav said.

The civic chief said, “If the water meters are found missing,
PCMC will launch a deeper probe into the matter.” Senior civic officials
said total cost of the “missing” water meters is Rs 10 crore.

Civic officials said in 2006, PCMC had decided to implement the water
meter system. A private firm was given the contract to install 1.39
lakh water meters across the town at a cost of Rs 37 crore. It installed
as many as 1.4 lakh meters, the record for which is available with the
civic administration, officials said. “However, record of 35,000 meters
is not available,” officials said.

Welcoming the civic chief’s step to probe the matter, Shiv Sena
corporator Shrirang Barne said, “The entire procedure and agreement of
water meter system was bogus. I had raised this issue several times in
the civic general body meeting, but the ruling party and the
administration did not pay heed,” he said.