Just when residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad were looking forward to getting additional water from the Pavana dam, the long-stalled Pavana pipeline project – which had finally got the green signal from the Maharashtra government – has run into uncertainty. Led by local politicians, aggrieved farmers from Maval taluka have once again stepped forward to strongly oppose the project. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which had been demanding that the project be restarted, has found itself in a spot as its own local leaders are now opposing the project which involves laying a 36-km closed pipeline from the Pavana dam in Maval taluka to Ravet in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Once completed, it will help the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad get an additional 100 MLD of water, thereby easing its water crisis.
Pimpri-Chinchwad NCP president Ajit Gavhane, in an interview with Manoj More, says Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has promised to sort out the issue after holding discussions with the agitating farmers.
Excerpts:
Q. Now that the farmers are again opposing the Pavana pipeline project, will the project take off?
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Gavhane: It is true that the project is once again facing protests from local farmers in Maval taluka. We will have to first understand their problems and demands and then find a way out of it.
Q. NCP leaders from the Maval area are in the forefront of the protests. Why are your own leaders organising the stir?
Gavhane: The local leaders represent the local citizens and farmers. Therefore, it is incumbent on them to articulate the grievances and demands of the local people. They are doing their duty for the people. So, there is nothing wrong with them leading the protest. We will have to take the local representatives into confidence before moving ahead with the project.
Q. A meeting with the state government was supposed to take place this week. Did the meeting happen?
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Gavhane: The meeting will be held anytime soon with all the stakeholders, but before holding the meeting with the chief minister and deputy chief ministers, we have decided to discuss the issue with the aggrieved farmers. Once we understand their problems and demands, we will be able to go to the meeting with a solution.
Q. Have you spoken to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar? What are his views on the farmers’ protest?
Gavhane: Yes, I have held a discussion with the deputy chief minister. He has clearly said that we cannot go ahead with the Pavana pipeline project unless we take the farmers into confidence. He said he will be personally talking to the farmers and will try to understand their opposition to the project. He said the state government will work on finding a solution to the issue so that the project can be restarted. The project had come to a standstill in 2011 after three protesting farmers were killed in police firing. It was Ajit Pawar who took the initiative to get the project restarted after 12 years.
Q. The farmers are arguing that once the project is implemented, they will be deprived of their share of water from Pavana. And in future, they say the situation will worsen for them.
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Gavhane: We have heard that farmers are saying that residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad are getting 140 litres of water per person per day while Maval villagers are getting just 40 litres per person per day. They say that if Pimpri-Chinchwad gets water from a closed pipeline, their share will further come down. Actually, their fears are misplaced. I don’t know where these figures have come from. Only experts will be able to tell us the exact position. We will be collecting full information in this regard. The state government will never allow such a thing to happen. The state government will ensure that both the residents of Maval and Pimpri-Chinchwad get due justice.
Q. How important is the Pavana pipeline project for Pimpri-Chinchwad?
Gavhane: Pavana dam is the biggest source of water for residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad. If the closed pipelines are laid from Pavana dam to Pimpri-Chinchwad, residents will get clean water. Currently, when water is released from Pavana dam, it travels close to 40 km and then reaches Pimpri-Chinchwad, carrying grime, garbage and domestic and industrial effluents with it. If the pipelines are laid, the expenditure on filtering the water will come down. Significantly, the irrigation department has promised that once the pipelines are laid, Pimpri-Chinchwad will get 100 MLD more water. This means a lot as the city is currently getting alternate day water supply. Once the project is implemented, the water woes of the city will ease a bit.
Q. MLA Rohit Pawar, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP, was in the city earlier this week. He said his party would raise its voice against corruption in PCMC as no other party is doing so.
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Gavhane: I don’t want to comment about Rohit Pawar’s statement. But the entire Pimpri-Chinchwad knows that it was the Nationalist Congress Party which has been raising the issue of corruption in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). We have staged protests and have even approached the state government to highlight the wrongdoings in the civic body’s functioning.
Q. How is the NCP placed in Pimpri-Chinchwad? How many former corporators have joined the NCP led by Ajit Pawar?
Gavhane: Almost all the former corporators have joined our NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar. You can verify yourself. When Rohit Pawar came to the city recently, one former corporator from the BJP and one former corporator from the NCP were with him. As many as 37 corporators who were elected in the 2017 elections have joined us. We are in a strong position.
Q. Now that the NCP led by Ajit Pawar has joined hands with the BJP and Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, are you going to contest the forthcoming elections together?
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Gavhane: Yes, we will be contesting the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together. Recently, a meeting of leaders and workers of all three parties was held in Mumbai. At the meeting, it was decided that all three parties should contest the Lok Sabha elections together. However, no discussion was held about contesting the civic elections in alliance.
Q. Have you held discussions with local BJP and Sena leaders regarding contesting the civic polls jointly?
Gavhane: No, not yet. So far there has been no communication between us. We will see when the elections are announced.
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