In Chinchwad seat, BJP on the back foot as rivals raise decibel levels over stalled Pavana pipeline project

The BJP ruled the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for five years from 2017 to 2022 and the party’s government was in power in Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019 and is even now at the helm in the state.

The ambitious Rs 400 crore project was started by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in 2011. The project involves setting up a direct pipeline from the Pavana dam located in the Maval taluka to Nigdi in Pimpri-Chinchwad. The project was aimed at getting clear water as well as additional water for Pimpri-Chinchwad.

After the work started in 2011, farmers in Maval taluka protested fearing that they will be deprived of the water from Pavana dam as Pimpri-Chinchwad will get most of the water. During a protest, three farmers were killed in firing following which the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had issued orders to stop the work. Since then, the Pavana pipeline work has remained a non-starter.

At a press conference in Pimpri-Chinchwad last week, State BJP chief Chandrashekar Bawankule sounded clueless when he was asked as to why the BJP despite being in power in PCMC, the state and at the Centre could not get the work started. “I will take information from the local leaders on the issue,” he said.

When reporters asked local party leaders like MLA Mahesh Landge and MLC Uma Khapre, Bawankule said, “This is my press conference… I will speak about it.”

However, despite persistent questioning by reporters, Bawankule could not reply as to why the project remains stalled.

Landge, who is the president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad BJP unit, told The Indian Express later, “After the press conference, we gave full information to our leader. He has promised to take up the issue with the chief minister and get the work restarted as early as possible.”

In the Chinchwad Assembly bypoll, the Pavana water pipeline issue is being highlighted by the NCP’s Kate and Kalate. On the other hand, BJP candidate Ashwini Jagtap is putting on a brave front, citing how her husband made efforts to ensure that citizens get adequate stock of water daily.

“In most of the societies of Pimple Saudagar, Pimple Gurav, and Sangvi, the water problem has eased considerably as my husband made efforts to get a bigger pipeline installed and improved the water infrastructure,” Ashwini Jagtap said.

However, her rivals and even citizens are not convinced.

“It was the NCP and Congress during their rule in the state that had given the permission to start the Pavana pipeline project which would have considerably eased the water problem of the expanding industrial city. However, after it got stalled, the BJP came to power in 2014 but made no effort to get the project restarted. It showed its incompetency and inefficiency in resolving citizens’ key problems. Even PCMC has failed to get additional water from other dams so far. As a result, hundreds of societies in Chinchwad seat have to rely on tanker waters,” said Kate.

On his part, Kalate attacked both the BJP and the NCP. “The Pavana pipeline project as well as other projects for getting additional water from dams have all been limping. The BJP and NCP both were in power in PCMC as well as the state. The BJP had its government in the Centre as well. The BJP and NCP both had their MLAs and the MP in Maval and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Yet, they took no initiative in getting the protestors to a negotiating table. Had they held repeatedly dialogues and convinced the protestors, this issue would have been resolved long back and ease people’s daily nightmare,” Kalate said.

Kalate said the Chinchwad constituency is dominated by high-rise residential societies. “Each of them is facing a water problem which aggravates during the summer season or much before that. The rulers have done little on this count. I am promising voters that their water problem remains atop my agenda and I will take it to the logical conclusion,” he said.

Sachin Londhe of the Nandan Inspera residential society said, “We have 390 flats in our society. During monsoons and a little after that, we don’t have many water problems. But our problems start in January-February itself. We have to rely on water tankers daily. Currently, 10 tankers are making rounds of our society daily. The cost of each water tanker is Rs 700”.

Londhe said they have told all candidates who reach out to them during campaigning to resolve the water issue. “We have told them about our water problem and how we have to rely on tankers… We need a solution to this. PCMC is not able to provide us water and is giving all kinds of excuses,” he said.

Meanwhile, the cost of the stalled Pavana pipeline project has risen. Civic officials said PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh is holding discussions with the state government over the project. “The civic administration is making efforts to get the project restarted,” said a top official.