Pune mega-industry hub thirsts for water; mulls flight to other states

Mumbai, Sep 25: A sprawling industrial hub at Chakan in Pune has complained of ‘severe shortage’ of water for the hundreds of factories there, and stated that repeated pleas to the Maharashtra government have fallen on deaf ears, compelling them to explore options of shifting to states like Gujarat, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu.

Riled by alleged stonewalling tactics at all levels in the Mahayuti government, the Chakan Industries Association (CIA) Pune, shot off a letter to Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan – besides Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other bigwigs – seeking personal intervention in the matter last week, said a top official.

Boasting of over 450 members, including many multinational corporations, small and medium industries, largely in the key automobile sectors, the 16-year-old CIA-Pune lamented that it has been ‘thirsting’ for water for nearly two decades.

“We have sent more than 30 letters and representations to the Maharashtra Jal Pradhikaran (MJP). But it has completely ignored our serious problems. Worse, the MJP has doubled our water charges and halved our water supply. In such a situation, many members are now planning to shift to neighbouring states like Gujarat, Karnataka or beyond,” CIA-Pune Chairman Motilal Sankla told IANS.

The bustling Chakan region is divided into two major industrial zones, and ranks among half-dozen big and small such centres in Pune district.

One is the MIDC sprawled on 9,000-acres, employing over 2.75 lakh workers where all the necessary infrastructure and amenities are provided by the state government.

The other is the Free Zone Industrial Area (FZIA), where the CIA-Pune’s around 450-plus member-units are located on 4,000-acres, employing 2 lakh-plus, but all amenities are provided by the local authorities.

Grappling with water scarcity since its fledgling days nearly three decades ago, the FZIA finally succeeded in convincing the state government to launch a 16-MLD water supply scheme from the Bhama-Askhed Dam, naming it ‘CIA & 19 Villages Water Supply Scheme’, in 2010.

Costing Rs 25.65 crore – described as a pilot project of MJP by the then Union Minister Sharad Pawar – the scheme was intended to satisfy the water needs of the CIA-Pune FZIA, proposed to be around 7.06 MLD and the 19 villages to be supplied the rest, making provision for distribution losses, etc., explained Sankla.

For this pilot scheme, the CIA-Pune contributed 20 per cent of the cost, and later diligently cleared all its monthly water bills, at a rate of Rs 21/1000 litres, amounting to over Rs 42 crore in the last 15 years.

“However, the reality was very different. Against the promised 7.06 MLD, we got barely 4.50 MLD till 2019 and now it has come down to around 2 MLD. Plus, the MJP has doubled water charges to Rs 45.21/1000 litres, compared with the MIDC’s rate of only Rs 21.50/1000 litres. Some 70 big industries here have absolutely no water at all and depend fully on private tankers,” Sankla lamented.

Pune activist Prafful Sarda said that the unique industrial initiative of Sharad Pawar is now being deprived of water, pushing it to a ‘slow death’ and forcing the industries to flee out of Maharashtra, which will hit lakhs of direct and indirect jobs.

“When there is sufficient water availability with the MJP, why are the 19 villages and CIA-Pune deprived of their rightful share of water supply? Where is the water leakage/diversion, or is the tanker mafia benefitting at the behest of some crooked officials,” Sarda commented to IANS.

Among the big names which have units in CIA-Pune FZIA are L’Oreal, Bosch, Mahindra, Bajaj, Force Motors, Bharat Forge, Bomag India and others which don’t get any water, informed Alpha Foam Ltd. Managing Director Rajiv Ranka.

Ranka said that on an average, the 70 big industries spend lakhs of rupees per month on tanker-water to meet their water needs of some 4-MLD, both for industrial and drinking purposes, owing to the MJP’s fault.

Sarda pointed out that while the Mahayuti government is claiming to get big industries and investments, “will they actually set up projects here without guaranteed water supply”, when other states are offering much more.

Sankla admits that though the Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil has been cooperative and sympathetic to their woes, the MJP officialdom and certain local pressure groups seem to create hurdles that could prove detrimental to the state’s ‘industry-friendly’ image, and many might relocate to other states.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: [email protected])