Residents of several housing societies in Kharadi staged a chain fast protest near the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) water tank on DP Farms Road on Sunday to highlight the persistent water shortage in the area and the growing dependence on private water tankers.
Organised by the Kharadi Housing Societies Welfare Association (KHSWA), the protest sought immediate steps to improve PMC water supply.
Residents alleged that inadequate water supply from PMC has forced housing societies to spend heavily on private tankers, leading to a sharp rise of 50% to 80% in monthly maintenance charges.
Nikhil Daga, a resident of Cheryl Apartment, said societies in Kharadi continue to spend heavily on water tankers despite paying high property taxes. “The biggest expense in our society’s maintenance is water tankers. Residents are effectively paying twice for a basic necessity,” he said.
Another resident, Sumit Dusad, said the fast ended after PMC officials gave written assurances regarding measures to improve supply. “We received strong support from several societies in Kharadi. We hope the area will now see an improvement in water supply in the coming days,” he said.
Among the demands raised by residents were reimbursement or adjustment of expenses incurred for private water tankers, a refund of the water tax component collected through property tax during periods of inadequate supply, and accountability for officials responsible for the prolonged water crisis. Residents also demanded public disclosure of the sanctioned water allocation for Kharadi, the actual water supplied, the status of pending infrastructure works, and project timelines.
The association further demanded the formation of a joint coordination committee comprising PMC officials and representatives of affected housing societies.
Protesters said PMC officials from the water department assured them that a team would visit the area on Monday morning.
Nandkishore Jagtap, chief, PMC water department, said, “PMC is trying its best to provide water in each area of Pune city. In some cases, water supply is problematic due to inadequate infrastructure, which the civic body is trying to overcome.”
MLA Bapusaheb Pathare and local leaders Surendra Pathare and Shailyjeet Bansode also visited the protest site in support of the residents.
