Pune: Pending Katraj-Kondhwa Road work hits not only traffic but also water supply to lakhs of residents
In the absence of land acquisition, citizens from Upper Indira Nagar to NIBM Road to Tukai Nagar areas suffer
Pune: Traffic congestion is not the only result of delayed land acquisition for Katraj-Kondhwa Road in south Pune. It has also delayed the 24X7 water supply work. Lakhs of residents from Upper Indira Nagar to Kondhwa to NIBM Road to Mohammadwadi-Tukai Nagar are facing water issues.
Katraj-Kondhwa Road is an important stretch of the National Highway that will carry traffic from Katraj to Kondhwa up to Mantarwadi. However, traffic flow has not been smooth on this road due to its narrow width and growing housing projects on both sides of the road.
The administration has undertaken the first phase work from Rajas Society Chowk to Kondhwa Khadi Machine Chowk of 3.5 km. However, the road work has been delayed due to some initial problems in the tender process and later, land acquisition issues. Its initial estimated cost was Rs 250-300 crore, which went up three times more.
A delay in land acquisition has not only delayed the road work but also the 24X7 water supply work. The water supply cost is also growing due to the delay. Moreover, residents are dependent on the water supply under this plan and have been thirsting for many years.
Water tanks have been built in Katraj, the Sinhagad Road area, Ambegaon, Upper Indira Nagar, Kondhwa, Salisbury Park and Mohammadwadi under the 24X7 water supply project. The water tanks have been built in the past 3-4 years after an approval to construct them was given in 2016.
The Vadgaon Budruk Water Supply Centre will supply water to these water tanks. However, the tanks in Katraj and Sinhagad Road only are getting water currently.
Water cannot be supplied to two tanks in Upper Indira Nagar, three tanks at Konark Indrayu in the NIBM Road area, three tanks near Dorabjee Mall and the tanks in Tukai Nagar. Water pipelines cannot be laid due to delayed land acquisition for the road widening. An 18-km water pipeline from Vadgaon Water Supply Centre to Tukai Nagar will be laid.
A mere 1.5-km stretch of Katraj-Kondhwa Road work has delayed the pipeline-laying work. Therefore, these water tanks cannot be filled. This was revealed by Water Supply Department Executive Engineer Nandkumar Jagtap. The civic body is planning to lay the pipeline along the service road of Katraj-Kondhwa Road.
Residents are paying for water, leaders not bothered
Kondhwa, NIBM Road and Tukai Nagar near Mohammadwadi are still getting water through the old pipeline. Following a real estate boom in the area, demand for water has grown multiple times. Big housing societies have no option but to purchase water from private water tanker owners by spending lakhs of rupees. Their annual cumulative expenditure on water amounts to crores of rupees.
However, local residents do not know why the water pipeline work has been delayed. Politicians, who make lofty promises before the elections, do not seem to be bothered about the huge money the common people are spending on water.
