Pune: Citizen groups and housing federations across Pune and its neighbouring areas have decided to approach police to register FIRs against developers who have violated water supply affidavits while applying for building permissions.The move aims to hold builders accountable for failing to provide promised water infrastructure, forcing residents to rely on private tankers.The decision followed a water supply review meeting on Friday, chaired by divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar. The meeting was convened under the directions of the Bombay high court (PIL 126/2023) to address the metropolitan region’s worsening water crisis.During the session, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials confirmed that water affidavits submitted by developers have finally been uploaded on its website, six months after the requirement was first raised. However, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) are yet to comply and have requested another month to complete the process.Advocate Satya Muley, representing several citizen groups, stated that a thorough scrutiny of these affidavits will begin immediately. “We will cross-check if builders are backing out of their legal responsibility to supply water to housing complexes at their own cost. If violations are found, we will assist societies in approaching the police in their respective areas to register FIRs within a month,” Muley told TOI.He emphasised that the high court-monitored task force, which includes officials from the PMC, PCMC, and PMRDA, has significantly empowered citizens. “The divisional commissioner has specifically directed us to help residents initiate criminal action where developers have left them in distress despite making written commitments during project approvals,” Muley added.Residents from NIBM Annexe, Undri, and other fringe areas reported that many builders are not providing the water they originally assured. “Citizens invest their life’s savings in homes only to end up paying exorbitant amounts for tanker water. The corporations must conduct stricter checks before sanctioning building plans,” said one resident.Vijay Sagar, a national executive member of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, noted that developers have been submitting these affidavits since 2019 solely to obtain project sanctions. “Civic bodies accepted these documents without ensuring the actual water supply was feasible. We expect the authorities to now take a stand and file FIRs against these defaulting builders,” Sagar said.In response to the grievances, divisional commissioner Pulkundwar issued a series of strict directives to the PMC, PCMC, and PMRDA to act against developers who fail to adhere to their water guarantee certificates, take immediate action against tankers supplying contaminated water, strictly implement the Maharashtra Groundwater Act and make borewell permissions mandatory, ensure all water guarantee certificates are uploaded online for public access.Citizen groups have also demanded that future building plans be denied approval unless an assured, sustainable water supply is already in place.
