11 September,2023 08:42 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Pic/Sunil Shinde/X
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday held a protest seeking additional 70-80 million litres per day (MLD) of water for Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation areas in neighbouring Palghar district in Maharashtra, reported the PTI.
Several party workers agitated outside the Bandra-Kurla Complex headquarters of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and MLC Sunil Shinde, who is the party's 'sampark pramukh' for Palghar, met Metropolitan Commissioner Ashwin Mudgal over the demand, as per the PTI.
The current population in areas under the Vasai-Virar civic body is 24 lakh and the water requirement is 372 MLD while it is getting only 230 MLD, a memorandum of demands of the Shiv Sena (UBT) stated, according to the PTI.
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It said a pipeline is being laid to bring 165 MLD of water to Virar-Vasai city from MMRDA's Surya Water Supply Scheme, which has a capacity of 403 MLD.
The infrastructure to supply 70-80 MLD, from Kashid-Kopar, of this 165 MLD is ready and it could have started in July but the MMRDA was deliberately delaying matters, the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged.
The local municipal corporation has also written to MMRDA on the issue but it has got no response, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party claimed.
A letter from party leader Aaditya Thackeray has been given to MMRDA and the latter has assured that additional water supply will commence in a month, a party functionary said.
An MMRDA official, on condition of anonymity, said there is an issue with permissions from the forest department for laying high capacity power lines for the water supply project, which was delaying matters.
The existing power lines are unreliable and may damage equipment, he said.
Meanwhile, last week, a delegation of Shiv Sena (UBT) lawmakers on Wednesday met Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis over police action in Jalna district against protesters seeking quota for the Maratha community, reported the PTI.
Last Friday, the police in Jalna district baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob in Antarwali Sarathi village after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift activist Manoj Jarange, who has been on fast for Maratha quota since August 29, to hospital.
(with PTI inputs)
