Navi Mumbai water row gets murkier

OCTOBER 17: The furore over the recent hike in water charges in Navi Mumbai has created a political churning in the township, with a group of 50 Shiv Sainiks including 10 corporators storming into a board meeting of the City and Industrial Development Corporation CIDCO to demand a reduction in the rates. Following the protest, led by newly elected Sena MLA from Thane-Belapur Sitaram Bhoir on Friday, CIDCO has convened a meeting on Monday to discuss a possible reduction in the charges, which were increased in July, in some instances by 300 per cent.

The meeting has been convened only three days before a critical meeting between CIDCO officials and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation NMMC to discuss modalities for the final handover of water supply and distribution to the civic administration. Keen to draw mileage ahead of the civic elections due in March next year, the Sena is the third political party after the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Nagri Vikas Agadhi to politicise the issue. The Sena hadheld a public meeting and demonstrated against the hike in August. This was followed by a call to boycott payment of water bills by the Nagri Aghadi on September 20. Only last week, BJP party workers, led by corporator Maruti Bhoir, led a morcha to the CIDCO office to pressure CIDCO to slash the rates.

Sitting Sena MP from Thane, Prakash Paranjpe, who is a director of CIDCO and who was also present at Friday8217;s meeting said he will play a 8220;dual-role8221; at Monday8217;s meeting: 8220;We are confident of reducing the water charges since the hiked rates are exorbitant. We shall also discuss CIDCO8217;s Water Department8217;s liabilities, before the handover to the NMMC.8221; Embittered by the Sainiks8217; attempt to seal the spotlight, a corporator from the ruling Nagri Aghadi says: 8220;With the civic elections round the corner the Sena is trying to politicise the issue.8221; Apart from Paranjpe being on the board of directors, CIDCO Chairperson Narayan Marathe is also a Shiv Sainik. However, Sena MLA Sitaram Bhoir counters: 8220;Being arepresentative of the Navi Mumbai residents, it is my responsibility to try and get the steep hike reduced.

CIDCO has been incurring annual losses amounting to Rs 15 crore despite the steep hike in water charges against Rs 25 crore earlier, a burden that the NMMC will have to shoulder after it assumes full control over supply and distribution. Till the civic elections in March, at least.