Mumbai, Apr 11 (PTI) The Mumbai Water Tanker Association’s strike entered the second day on Friday even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the BMC to find an immediate solution.

Fadnavis, through a post on X, said he has directed the Mumbai municipal commissioner to find “an immediate solution” by way of finding out the “golden mean” in the revised rules and demands of tanker owners, as “a water (shortage) problem has arisen in some places”.

Due to the summer season, it is not appropriate that the strike should continue, Fadnavis asserted in the post.

Earlier in the day, a meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister CR Paatil was held at Bandra Kurla Complex, in which representatives of tanker owners were present along with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) officials.

A BMC release said, in the meeting, Paatil instructed the CGWA administration to simplify the ‘Bhu-Neer’ online system for obtaining NOCs to make it more user-friendly and also to spread awareness about it.

The BMC, in a release, also announced that municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has given a stay to the notices issued to private well and bore well owners till June 15.

The civic body also clarified that though the notices have been stayed, it will be mandatory for the well and borewell owners to get the necessary permission for groundwater extraction.

Ankur Sharma, spokesperson for Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) told PTI they will continue their strike as they are “not satisfied” with the steps announced by the civic body.

The MWTA will try to meet CM Fadnavis to break the impasse, he added.

The MWTA began its “indefinite break” from supplying water after BMC issued notices to owners of private wells that supply water to the tankers for compliance with rules from Thursday.

It has affected water supply to residential societies, railways, and construction projects, among others.

The MWTA has around 1,800 registered tankers with a capacity of 500-20,000 litres, and these tankers supply around 350 MLD of water to different parts of Mumbai.

As per the MWTA, the authorities have made 200 square metre land, proof of lease or ownership of a well, installation of a digital water flow metre, adherence to BIS standard, accurate measurement of daily intake etc mandatory, besides a no-objection certificate from Central Ground Water Authority. PTI KK BNM