Indian Express 26.04.2010
No need for chawl-owners’ permission for tenants’ water connection
MANOJ MORE Tags : corporation Posted: Monday , Apr 26, 2010 at 0445 hrs
Pune: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has decided to provide water connections to chawl residents even if they do not have permission from chawl-owners. The move, expected to benefit over a lakh residents of chawls in the industrial town, was, however, being seen by landlords as an infringement of their rights.Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma said the step was aimed facilitating chawl residents to get water connections easily. “We want to cut delays in providing water connections. The idea is make the system simple and straight. We will provide water connections on demand.”
Sharma said any chawl resident seeking water connection will have to apply between May 1 and July 31. “Every resident will get a separate meter on demand. He or she will have to apply individually,” Sharma said.
Prakash Landge, owner of a chawl, said the civic administration cannot bypass landlords. “The chawls are owned by us. The property belongs to us. If anything is to be done, it should be with the landlord’s permission,” he said.
On the other hand, the move has cheered tenants. “We have been filling water from roadside taps for two decades due to landlords refusing to give us an NOC to get water meters. The nightmare will end now,” said Vinod Bansode, a resident of Kasarwadi.
A chawl resident seeking water connection will have to provide a residential proof and pay an advance of Rs 1,400 towards water bill and Rs 1,500 for meter installation. “The advance water meter bill is being taken from chawl residents because if they leave without notice, the PCMC will be at a loss,” said independent corporator Maruti Bhapkar, who had staged a sit-in for nearly three weeks outside the PCMC headquarters. The agitation was withdrawn after Mayor Yogesh Behl and NCP chief Azam Pansare intervened.
Welcoming the move to provide water connections without permission of landlords, Bhapkar said lakhs of chawl residents do not get water in homes as landlords do not allow them to get connections. “The landlords do not provide NOCs, in the absence of which PCMC refused water connections. Henceforth, residents won’t require any NoC,” he said.
Bhapkar said after his agitation, the PCMC agreed not only to take care of chawl residents, but also slum-dwellers besides waive meter installation charges for nearly 23,000 residents.
However, the civic chief said the final decision on waiving meter installation charges will be taken at the civic general body meeting. “There is a proposal to waive the charges, but the final decision will come after a debate in the general body meeting. But the waiving of charges will apply only to those having sought meters before March 31, 2009,” he said. The PCMC has also decided to reduce the annual water tax levied on slum-dwellers from Rs 1070 to Rs 700.
