The residents have questioned the collection of property tax by the PMC as they are not able to provide basic amenities.

The residents of Keshav Nagar are fuming and expressing frustration due to the lack of access to adequate water supply and civic infrastructure. Keshav Nagar was incorporated under the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits in 2017, and even after seven years, the water woes remain the same.

The residents have questioned the collection of property tax by the PMC as they are not able to provide basic amenities.

Sudhir Shrivastav, Director of the Keshav Nagar Welfare Association, said, “Despite paying heavy property taxes to PMC, the societies in Keshav Nagar are forced to pay ₹75-80 lakhs to tankers. The tanker mafias are gaining hold, but we don’t have a choice as the civic body is failing to provide the basic amenities like drinking water.”

Only bigger societies have water pipelines

Shrivastav added, “The water pipelines in Keshav Nagar are not well spread. Only a few bigger societies have water pipelines laid by the civic body. The water pipeline from the Y junction of Keshav Nagar leading to Godrej Society has a connection, and the other connection laid is on Manjhari Road up to Renukamata Mandir, which is approximately only 300 meters."

"Sixty percent of societies do not have water pipelines and are dependent on tanker water, which has given rise to tanker mafias. For the past seven years, we have been living without water. The water supply from PMC comes only for an hour in the morning, and it’s tough to run the house throughout the day without water. We have been following up with the PMC water department for the past seven years, but nothing has been done," he added.

Another resident, Rejuv Birendra Thapliyal, said, “Why does PMC give NOC to the builders if they can’t provide water? And now, when we ask them about the water supply and connectivity, they say it’s under the city development project plan, and we have been waiting for years to get the issue resolved. We met an official to look into the matter and provide a solution to our problems. Forget the Thursday water cuts by PMC; for us, the situation is the same every day. Even the areas which have the PMC pipelines get water for only one hour.”

PMC says work to be done in 4 months

Nandkumar Jagtap, Head of the Water Department at PMC, said, “We are aware of the water issues in Keshav Nagar, and it is newly merged with PMC, so we were dealing with the allocation of funds. But now we have a Detailed Project Report (DPR), and we will be laying pipelines in the areas where there is no water connectivity. Not just pipelines, but we will be constructing water tanks, and we have started taking tenders out. Tentatively, in the coming four months, we will get the water pipelines connected in every nook and cranny of Keshav Nagar.”