Raise height of Mulshi dam, instructs Dy CM Ajit Pawar
Raise height of Mulshi dam, instructs Dy CM Ajit Pawar
There is a need to provide drinking water for the growing population in the western part of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) area including the villages in the Mulshi area under the Mulshi dam. In this regard, the height of Mulshi Dam should be increased considering the next 30 years. Also, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar directed that measures should be implemented in coordination with Tata Power Company for the works to be done through Phase 1 and 2 of Mulshi Regional Water Supply Scheme.
A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the Mantralay to resolve the problems in Mulshi Regional Water Supply Scheme phase one and phase two. O.P. Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Sanjay Khandare, Principal Secretary, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Ashish Sharma, Principal Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Sanjay Belsare, Secretary, Benefit Sector Development Department, Abhishek Krishna, Member Secretary, Maharashtra Life Authority, Rajendra Rahane, Executive Engineer, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, attended the meeting. Tata Power Company officials Prabhakar Kale and Baburao Chandore were also present. Pune Divisional Commissioner Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Pune District Collector Dr Suhas Diwase, PMRDA Commissioner Rahul Ranjan Mahiwal participated through online system.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the officials of Tata Power Company are positive about the availability of additional water from Mulshi Dam and said that additional water can be available if the height of Mulshi Dam is increased by one meter to permanently solve the water problem in Mulshi and Pune areas. Along with this, if the water from the dead stock of the dam can be used, the increased demand for water will be met. These works should be given priority in collaboration with Tata Power Company.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that water supply schemes should be implemented immediately to provide water to the villages of Hinjewadi and Kolvan valley in the next three years. For that, the height of Mulshi Dam should be increased by one meter. 80 percent of the land that will go under water due to height increase is in the territory of Tata Power Company and it should be requested to give it free of charge. The remaining 20 percent land should be acquired on behalf of the government. For this, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also directed that proper compensation should be given to the land holders.
The work was stopped after the Tata Power Company objected to the approved works under the Mulshi Regional Water Supply Scheme. The Maharashtra Life Authority should give a proposal to the Water Resources Department to speed up these works. The Water Resources Department should announce the required water reservation and inform the Tata Power Company in writing about this. Also, PMRDA has provided one acre of land for the water treatment plant to be set up under the water supply scheme at Paud.
Another four acres of adjacent land is needed to set up a water treatment plant of sufficient capacity here. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also directed that PMRDA should acquire this place and make it available with the cooperation of Pune District Collector.
Shreyas Vange
