Aurangabad:
Citing its hurdles and reasons, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has submitted an agreement to supply water on the 4th day (after 3 days gap) to 60 per cent of residents of the city and on the 7th day (after 6 days gap) to the remaining 40 per cent, during the hearing on public interest litigation (PIL), in the Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court, on Thursday.
In response to it, the bench comprising Justice Ravindra Ghughe and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh suggested that if the AMC supplies water on the 4th day and the 7th day to each area, on an alternate basis, then the whole city will get an additional quantity of tap water, on every fortnight. Adv Sambhaji Tope, representing the AMC, agreed to implement the suggestion on a pilot basis. Meanwhile, acting upon the oral orders of the bench, the GVPR’s project head Nirnay Agrawal was present for the hearing.
The bench went through each point mentioned in the divisional commissioner’s report and expressed its displeasure over the slow pace of ongoing water works by the contractor. The bench hinted at stern action. The court ordered suing the contractor as an opponent and serving notice to him. Agrawal accepted the notice. He assured the court that presently the waterworks are underway and they will gain momentum after the required material is received by December 18. Besides, out of the proposed 53 works, 10 per cent of works to be done on a priority basis would be completed by March 2023.
Later on, the court inquired with Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) whether it had served any show-cause notice to the contractor or initiated action to scrap the contract, etc. MJP’s lawyer Adv Vinod Patil assured the court that it will develop coordination with the contractor to give a push to the works.
Meanwhile, AMC’s lawyer Tope brought to the notice of the court that if the contractor completes 10 per cent of important works and the tender process of Ductile Iron (DI) pipes of valuing Rs 193 crore is completed, then in the coming six months, it will be possible for the AMC to supply water to the whole city on a gap of 3 days.
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Justice gets water on 7th day
The Aurangabad Bench is making all legal efforts so that each citizen should get an adequate quantity of water regularly on the 4th day. There are around 3,000 lawyers associated with the bench and they receive water on a gap of five days and seven days in their areas said the High Court Bar Association secretary Suhas Urgunde. He submitted the water supply schedule in court. He also underlined that the Justice also receives water on the gap of the 7th day.
The bench expressed satisfaction over the work done by the steering committee headed by the divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar and ordered not to change him till June 2023.