Mumbai, Apr 14 (PTI) In a relief for Mumbaikars battling hot summer and water woes, tanker operators on Monday withdrew their strike on its fifth day following the invocation of the Disaster Management Act by the civic body to requisition private water tankers and wells a day before.
The breakthrough came after a meeting between municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) members earlier in the day.
The civic chief assured that the BMC would provide administrative support in communicating issues flagged by the MWTA to the Central government, a release said.
The MWTA went on indefinite strike on April 10 against a notice issued by the BMC to owners of private wells that supply water tankers to the city. The civic body directed owners of wells to obtain a licence from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) first.
The move affected water supply to residential societies, railways, and construction projects, among others.
Even though the notices issued to well and borewell owners were stayed until June 15 following directives from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil, the MWTA refused to withdraw the protest.
“We have decided to call off the indefinite strike and resume water supply in Mumbai with immediate effect,” Rajesh Thakur, general secretary of MWTA told PTI on Monday.
The BMC stated that a “positive” meeting was held between Gagrani and MWTA representatives earlier in the day.
“The meeting witnessed positive discussions from both sides,” the release stated, adding that a few hours later the tanker operators announced they would call off their strike.
MWTA members requested the civic chief that their concerns be communicated to the Central Government, and also submitted a memorandum of demands.
Gagrani informed tanker operators’ representatives that in alignment with the Central Ground Water Authority’s regulations, the notices issued by the BMC have been postponed until June 15.
As per the release, Gagrani told MWTA representatives that a decision was made to withdraw notices related to the cancellation of approvals for borewells and wells, provided the owners were already approved, but asked them to obtain prior approval if they had not done so yet.
Gagrani also assured that the BMC would provide administrative support in communicating association-related issues to the Central government, the release said.
With the tanker operators calling off their strike, the civic administration will no longer need to proceed with acquiring wells, borewells, or private water tankers, it said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the state government and BMC for inconveniencing Mumbaikars by intervening late.
In a post on X, Thackeray said after (his party’s) call for morcha this week on all ward offices, finally the government intervened and the water tanker association withdrew its strike following the BMC commissioner’s assurance that no action will be taken against them.
“Why did the CM and Govt controlled BMC not intervene when the association gave notices of strike last week? Why did CM and Govt controlled BMC allow Mumbai to suffer over 3 important dates- Mahavir Jayanti, Hanuman Jayanti and Ambedkar Jayanti?” Thackeray questioned.
The civic body on Sunday invoked the Disaster Management Act 2005 to take control of private water tankers, wells and borewells to streamline water supply with the help of police and the transport commissionerate.
It formulated a standard operating procedure (SOP)for streamlining water supply to private housing societies and other stakeholders.
As per the SOP, ward teams were supposed to accept tanker requisitions from societies at Citizen Facilitation Centres (CFCs), receive payments, issue receipts, and dispatch tankers accordingly.
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 metres of 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 PR NSK BNM
