Lokmat News Network
Aurangabad:
The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh today informed the monitoring committee (constituted to keep a vigilance on the new water supply scheme works) that despite frequently giving opportunities and orders why the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is not assuring the citizens of supplying water on the fourth day regularly. Hence the matter should be discussed in the meeting and recommend a solution to it. It may be noted that the monitoring committee is headed by the divisional commissioner. The next hearing on the public interest litigation (PIL) will be held on December 7.
The court also ordered the committee to discuss the supplementary proposal of a new water supply scheme of Rs 193 crore. It may be noted that the old and deteriorating conditioned damaged 700 mm pipeline was to replace with new GI pipelines.
It may be noted that the citizens are facing the burning issue of drinking water for the past 20 years. Earlier, during frequent hearings held in past, upon the core issue, before the chief justice of the High Court and other panels of justices, the AMC was given many orders and opportunities for improvements, but the AMC despite giving assurance has not supplied water to the citizens on the fourth day. Presently, the city is getting water supply on a gap of the sixth and seventh day. Hence the bench, after going through it, expressed its disappointment and gave the above order.
Adv Sambhaji Tope, on behalf of the AMC, brought to the notice of the High Court that the existing pipelines are old and their conditions have also got weakened. Their life expectancy terms have been finished. Hence the pipeline gets bursts due to fluctuation in the pressure of the water supply. Besides, to repair the damage, the AMC has to stop the total water supply. Hence the supply of water is not possible on the fourth day. The work to lay GI pipes could be done on a war-footing basis in a week. Meanwhile, the supplementary water proposal of Rs 193 crore is pending approval at the state government level.
Adv Tope in his oral communication also informed the court that if the new water pipelines of 604 MLD capacity are laid then the AMC would be able to supply water to the city daily till 2041.
Adv Sachin Deshmukh was the amicus curiae, Adv Amit Mukhedkar pleaded on behalf of the original petitioner, Adv D R Kale represented the state government, Adv Ajay Talhar voiced on behalf of the Central Government, Adv Vinod Patil on behalf of Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), while Adv Anil Bajaj, Adv Deepak Manurkar and Adv Mrugesh Narwadkar represented the other petitioners.