Indian Express 24.12.2009
Day after attack, engineers seek extra security cover
Members of the municipal engineers association (MEA) have requested Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for extra security in its 24 ward offices following recent attacks on hydraulic engineers. The 3,300 engineers employed in the BMC met the Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya on Wednesday to put forward their demands.
A day after Congress leader Nitesh Rane’s Swaabhiman activists blackened the face of assistant engineer Kumar Tarang of K-east ward over water cut, officers in the ward went on a day-long strike on Wednesday. In a letter addressed to the commissioner, the MEA has stated that it is not responsible for the poor rainfall this season and should not be blamed for the water crisis or water cuts. They have opposed the politicising of the issue by various parties.
In addition to demanding deployment of extra policemen in ward offices, the engineers have also demanded that those arrested in yesterday’s incident be charged under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers and Dangerous Persons Act (MPDA). Sukhdeo Kashid, general secretary of MEA said, “The commissioner has assured us that he will meet the police commissioner soon and ask for extra police personnel for the safety of municipal engineers.”
Meanwhile, the BMC will soon rent water tankers at a cost of Rs 1.7 crore for the next six months. The step came soon after the decision to curtail water supply on one day of the week in the eastern suburbs. The practice that has been initiated by the BMC to equalize water distribution in fag end areas by regulating water pressure will be implemented on a pilot basis in the eastern suburbs from January 1.
The BMC expects to save 70,000 million litres of water by regulating water supply through zoning. Political leaders had opposed the BMC’s zoning system on Monday stating that it would create chaos and panic amongst citizens who are already facing a 15 per cent water cut. They wanted the BMC to get public consensus before implementing the cyclical cuts.
