PMC squad to crack down on those who waste water

Civic body vows stringent action against errant construction sites, people found washing vehicles with potable water

The Multipurpose Squad of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will now take stringent action if construction sites are found wasting drinking water by using it for commercial purposes.

Vigilance required: The PMC has appealed to people in the city to report to the Multipurpose Squad any construction site that they find using drinking water for commercial purposes. Representation pic

Rs 500 fine
Taking into consideration the acute water shortage in the city, the PMC has decided to impose a fine of Rs 500 on people caught wasting drinking water. If the same person is found at fault a second time, the fine will be Rs 1,000.

Chief of Anti-Encroachment Department Ramesh Shelar, who heads the squad, said: “Along with construction sites, this time residents who waste drinking water on gardening work will also come under the squad’s scanner.” He said the squad would also take strict action against those who wash their vehicles with drinking water.

70-member squad
The squad has a team of 70 members distributed among 14 ward offices across the city. They will take action against residents and builders found wasting water and report it to the respective ward offices.

“We are not sparing even bigwigs who are in the construction business,” said Ramesh Chavan, who is in-charge of the squad under Shelar. He said the squad had observed that it was not only the people residing in slums who were wasting drinking water supplied by the PMC, but also well-educated residents from Karve Road, Kothrud and Ghole Road.

“We are appealing to citizens to inform us whenever they notice wastage of water so that we can take strict action,” Chavan said. DSK chairperson D S Kulkarni welcomed the civic body’s decision to establish the squad that will concentrate on preventing wastage of water in the city.

“As far as our water usage strategy is concerned, we believe in rain and drain harvesting. We use the water of bore-well for construction purposes. Water that is used in toilets is being used for construction after recycling it,” Kulkarni said.u00a0

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