MJP assures HC of receiving 6552 metres long pipes in 40 days

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, June 24:

The Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) today brought to the notice of the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court that the two manufacturing companies will be supplying a total of 6552 meters long pipes to be laid between Jayakwadi and Aurangabad in 40 days. Meanwhile, the hearing to convert the petition into public interest litigation (PIL) has been scheduled to be held on June 30.

The hearing on a petition filed by the residents of the Cidco N-3 sector was held before the bench comprising a panel of Justice C V Bhadang and Justice Sandeep Kumar More on Friday. Earlier, the High Court decided to conduct a hearing on the core issue of water at the gap of every two weeks.

It may be noted that the state government had approved a water supply scheme valuing Rs 1680 crore under Maharashtra Suvarna Jayanti Nagarothan Mahaabhiyan. However, the petitioner had claimed that despite paying the taxes they deprive of water supply today and it would be taking years to complete the new project.

In today’s hearing, MJP’s lawyer Adv Vinod Patil said, “ The MJP has placed an order for pipes from companies situated in New Delhi and Mumbai. Each of them will be supplying 3,276 metres long pipes to MJP (a total of 6,552 metres long). Besides, the Hyderabad-based GVPR Engineering Company is manufacturing pipes of big diameters in size at the site location. It has laid a length of 622.5 metres pipes till June 16 and the digging of a trench to lay 19 pipes of length 142 metres is going on.”

Patil also drew the attention of the bench by saying the works like the construction of elevated storage reservoirs (ESRs), underground water tanks, master balancing reservoirs (MBRs), water treatment plant (WTP), laying of pipelines to release impure and pure water etc are underway, but the optic fibre cable (OFC), electric poles and old pipeline laid under the yesteryears parallel pipeline project is obstructing the works. Meanwhile, as per the High Court’s order on April 19, the representatives of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) commissioner and divisional commissioner, apart from MJP officers are reviewing the progress of water works proposed under the new water supply scheme on daily basis, he stressed.

Meanwhile, the amicus curiae Adv Sachin Deshmukh questioned why there is a need to manufacture pipes when the readymade pipes are available in the market? He then underlined that the completion of the project is being delayed due to unwanted work.

The assistant solicitor general Ajay Talhar said the process to obtain permission to construct a new pump house in Jayakwadi is complicated. Hence it is not possible to get the permission for pump house in 7 days. Meanwhile, the chief government pleader D R Kale voiced on behalf of the state government and Adv Sambhaji Tope represented the AMC.