Leaders in Pune view Lavasa water offer as eyewash

Although Lavasa Corporation has agreed to release water for Pune, opposition party leaders think this would not be the answer to Pune’s water scarcity problem. They claim that this might be an eyewash on the part of deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, to quell the ire against water cuts in Pune.

When contacted, Lavasa Corporation refused to comment on the matter.

Owing to acute water shortage in the city, the irrigation department has asked Lavasa Corporation to release water from its dams. Lavasa is a township situated in the catchment area of Varasgaon dam. As per the agreement between the irrigation department and Lavasa, it will have to release water in case Pune faces a shortage.

On the instructions of the irrigation department, the Lavasa Corporation has agreed to release 0.28 TMC water from its Gadale and Dasave dams.

However, leaders of opposition parties in Pune have slammed the move, saying it’s eyewash on the part of Pawar, who imposed water cuts on the city to supply water for irrigation.
BJP MLA Madhuri Misal said citizens are being fooled. “First of all, 0.28 TMC is going to serve only for six to seven days. What after that? It’s not the solution to the problem. If the guardian minister was so concerned, why wasn’t the decision to impose water cuts from January 1 onwards implemented?” she said, referring to the meeting between the irrigation department officials and Pawar in December 2011, where the officials had made it clear there was not much water in the dams.

“We are raising the issue in the legislative assembly demanding a permanent solution rather than patchwork,” she added. MLC Neelam Gorhe said the water problem was too serious and 0.28 TMC would not make much difference, but it’s good that the city will get water which is technically Pune’s water that was diverted to Lavasa.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Ranjit Shirole said the figures being given by the Pune Municipal Corporation and the irrigation department are contradictory. “The move to ask Lavasa to release water aims at image makeover. The guardian minister is looking for a soft corner in the hearts of the citizens by showing that Lavasa has been asked to release water to curb the water problem in Pune.”

Lavasa Corporation refused to comment on the matter.