The water meter issue is on the boil in the industrial town of Pimpri-Chinchwad again. While citizens grumble about exorbitant and wrong bills and activists threaten an indefinite fast from Monday, the civic administration claims all is well with the water meter system.

Activists and aggrieved citizens, under the leadership of Independent corporator Maruti Bhapkar, have been holding a sit-in outside the PCMC headquarters in Pimpri for the past 19 days. They have threatened to go on an indefinite agitation from Monday in support of demands like free installation of 23,000 water meters, similar charges for flat and chawl residents, waiving of meter inspection charges and an investigation of the entire meter system.

“The civic body has installed nearly 1 lakh meters free of charge. It will be unfair to the remaining citizens if they are asked to pay up. We will continue our protests till the administration decides to install these meters free,” says Bhapkar.

However, the civic administration maintains it will not be possible for it to waive the installation charges. “We had installed water meters across the town under a Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme. The installations under this scheme have been completed; the remaining citizens will have to pay up,” says municipal commissioner Asheesh Sharma.

However, he says the civic administration is ready to reduce the meter installation charges by half. “We had decided to charge Rs 1,400 for installing the meters. Since the residents have protested, we can reduce it to Rs 700.”

The residents are also worried about the water bills. Chandrakant Chavan, a resident of Akurdi, had received a bill of Rs 1.78 lakh for a six-month period. After at least three trips to the civic body in a week, he got a “corrected” bill of Rs 9,500. “To get a bill of Rs 1.78 lakh for six months was shocking... I am still not satisfied. For 20 years, we have received annual bills of less than Rs 1,200. How can we pay even Rs 9,500?” he asked.

Bhapkar says Chavan is not alone. There are hundreds of residents who have either received wrong or exorbitant bills. “The entire system needs a review. We are demanding a thorough investigation to stop unnecessary harassment of citizens.”

The agitators have also demanded water tariffs in slums should be like those charged by the Pune Municipal Corporation. “The PMC charges Rs 300 annually for slumdwellers. The PCMC should levy similar charges.”

Bhapkar says they will not call off their agitation unless the civic administration accede to their demands in writing. Meanwhile, Sharma says he is ready to give it in writing, but will not waive the meter installation charges.

What they say
The civic body has installed nearly 1 lakh meters free of charge. It will be unfair to the remaining citizens if they are asked to pay

Maruti BhapkarCorporator

We had installed water meters across the town under a JNNURM scheme. The installations under this scheme have been completed; the remaining citiziens will have to pay up Asheesh Sharma, PCMC Commissioner