Manjri residents stage protest at PMC headquarters demanding basic amenities
Pune: Residents of Manjri village, which was recently merged in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), had gathered in large numbers at the PMC main building to protest against the administration for not providing essential amenities. The residents demand proper facilities and a development plan for their village.
“Until and unless the development plan is not made, we want tax relaxation. We are not provided with adequate water, so why are we supposed to pay water tax ? During gram panchayat we paid a reasonable tax. And now, after the village is merged with PMC, there are no proper roads or development. We want water, so the water bill should be reduced. In 34 such villages, we are having these similar problems. We want a 50 percent discount until the development plan is not fixed,” said Shivraj Ghule, former Sarpanch of Manjri.
“We are facing several problems: street lights are not repaired, drainage lines are not proper, drainage lids are open, high water bills and inflated property taxes, garbage collection is not proper, inadequate supply of water is the major issue, etc. To demand a solution for these basic issues, we have staged a protest,” said resident, Umesh Sodnar of Manjri.
“Earlier when the village was in gram panchayat, the property tax levied was ₹3,000, and now the property tax has raised by three-fold. The water bills charged were ₹400, and now it is ₹4,000. Although the taxes have increased, yet the basic facilities are not given. We are not getting proper water, so why should we pay the taxes? Even the garbage pickers charge ₹100 monthly for every flat to collect the garbage. Mosquitoes have increased, no fogging is done on time, water hyacinth in the river present is an issue, bridge work is pending. There are so many issues in Manjri village that need attention,” said Sachin Mhaske, another resident of Manjri.
“When the village was under gram panchayat, there were no problems faced by us, but after the village was merged into Pune Municipal Corporation, many issues are unattended. We are fighting for basic amenities, whereas the taxes have increased. For getting any document, such as a birth certificate or death certificate, we have to go all the way from Manjri to Hadapsar or Magarpatta. Even for the cremation process, we have to wait for getting a pass. So the office should be in the village where we can apply for documents. We have to get water tankers daily for meeting our daily water needs. Not a single tanker of drinking water we have received,” said Satyavan Shirsat, complained a resident of Manjri.
“Before the Municipal Corporation executed this to merge the villages, they must have prepared a plan, a developmental plan. Although a plan was made under town planning regarding the roads, water supply, street lights, it was not executed, and all these remained only on paper. And before implementing it, they have imposed a tax burden on us. We are ready to give tax, but before the basics amenities should be given to us. We only want that the tax should be reduced,” informed another resident Dr Swapnil Chatur.
