Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra (April 24, 2025): The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) has failed to keep its promise of paying Rs 1.5 crore before March 31 to prevent a disruption in the city's water supply. As a result, officials from the Department of Water Resources (DoWR) have issued a fresh notice demanding a payment of Rs 10 crore by April 25. The notice warns that the city’s water supply will be cut off from April 28 if the payment is not made. The city receives 140 million litres of water daily from the Jayakwadi project through both old and new water supply schemes. For this, the DoWR issues an annual bill of approximately Rs 7 crore to the CSMC. However, due to the corporation’s poor financial condition, regular payments have not been made. As of now, the Department of Irrigation (DoI) is owed a total of Rs 52.41 crore in water bill arrears.
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Ahead of the March 31 deadline, the DoI's Jayakwadi office urged CSMC Commissioner G. Sreekanth to pay at least Rs 6 crore. Notices warning of a water supply disruption were also issued. Following a meeting with the civic chief on February 24, the CSMC paid Rs 4.5 crore. As the deadline approached, DoI Chief Engineer Jayant Gawali held further discussions with the commissioner regarding the remaining dues. The commissioner assured that Rs 1.5 crore would be paid by the end of March, thus preventing a disruption in the water supply.
However, with the third week of April nearly over and the promised payment still pending, DoI officials are frustrated. Executive Engineer Prashant Jadhav issued a fresh notice to the CSMC, demanding a lump-sum payment of Rs 10 crore by April 25. This includes Rs 3 crore from the previous year and Rs 7 crore for the current year. The notice warns that if the payment is not made by the deadline, the water supply to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar will be cut off from April 28.
"Despite assurances from the CSMC, the arrears for the water bill have not been cleared. Therefore, a new notice has been issued, asking for a Rs 10 crore payment by April 25. If the amount is not paid on time, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar's water supply will be cut off from April 28," said Deepak Dongre, assistant superintending engineer.