In Chinchwad seat, candidates target residential societies upset with parties over water shortage
In the Chinchwad Assembly seat, cooperative residential societies dominate the landscape. As the campaigning for the February 26 bypoll in the seat enters its last phase, candidates are leaving no stone unturned to reach out to these societies.
However, society members are upset with political parties for not delivering on their promise of providing drinking water for them.
Sanjeev Sangale, President, Chikhli Moshi Pimpri-Chinchwad Cooperative Societies Federation, said they also have 70-80 residential societies as their members. “Each one of them is facing water shortage and is relying heavily on water tankers. The tanker services have to be requisitioned in January-February itself,” he said.
On Tuesday, they conveyed their disappointment and frustration to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who had come to campaign for BJP candidate Ashwini Jagtap.
Sangale said they met Fadnavis and told him point blank about how the societies are suffering on various fronts, primarily acute water shortage. “Be it water shortage, builder harassment or garbage issue, we told him about all the problems we are facing in Chinchwad seat as well in the Chikhli-Moshi area,” he said.
The members spent nearly an hour discussing the issues affecting residential societies. “The deputy chief minister told us that additional 100 MLD water which will be available through the Bhama Asked dam will help ease the water problem of the entire industrial city. He said the work has been completed but the project could not be operationalised due to some technical problem,” according to Sangale.
‘No ray of hope’
“We have at least 500 residential housing societies as our members. There is not even one single residential society which is not facing a drinking water problem. Every society needs about 5-15 tankers per day. Each tanker costs upwards of Rs 700,” Dattatray Deshmukh, President, Pimpri-Chinchwad Cooperative Societies Housing Federation, told The Indian Express Wednesday.
In all, there are about 2000-3000 societies across the Chinchwad Assembly constituency. While Pimple Saudagar, Wakad, Thergaon, Ravet, Rahatni, Pimple Nilakh, and other nearby areas have high-rise societies, with between 500-1000 flats. Some even have more than 1000 flats. These societies, which are members of different federations, have been pursuing the water shortage issue with the administration of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for quite some time now, but to no avail.
“All our efforts to convince the PCMC to provide us with a daily quota of drinking water have come to nought. Societies are hard-pressed to get water but there is no ray of hope. Political parties, leaders and candidates have made promises in the past but have failed to do anything concrete on the front,” Deshmukh said.
Fadnavis making the promise of easing the water problem is nothing new, said societies. “In 2019, we had met Fadnavis who was the chief minister. He had promised to take steps to alleviate our water misery. But our water nightmare has only worsened,” Deshmukh said.
Candidates’ promise
Independent candidate Rahul Kalate said both the BJP and NCP have only made fake promises to the voters over the water issue. “A majority of societies in the Chinchwad seat have been affected by water shortage. But no serious effort has been initiated by the sitting MLA, sitting MP, or the state governments. As a result, the situation is getting worse. The water issue is on top of my agenda during the campaign as I am promising voters that I will do everything possible to mitigate their sufferings,” Kalate told The Indian Express Wednesday.
BJP candidate Ashwini Jagtap said, “In Pimple Gurav, Sangvi and Pimple Saudagar, the water problem has come down drastically. After the elections, I will focus on getting adequate stock of water in all parts of the constituency.”
NCP candidate Nana Kate said, “The BJP is currently in power. It also ruled the state and PCMC for five years. It could neither get the stalled Pavana pipeline project restarted nor could complete other projects like the Bhama Askhed dam and Andhra dam aimed at getting nearly 300 MLD of additional water. It is the BJP’s mismanagement and inefficiency because of which members of residential societies are suffering.”
All three candidates said they are covering 20-25 residential societies every day.
“I am good response from society members in Thergaon, Wakad and Ravet area,” said Kalate.
Jagtap and Kate said they are traversing across the constituency and trying to hold meetings of two-three or more societies together. “The response is good,” said Kate.
