AMC to severe illegal connections on ESR-filling main pipelines from June 28

Aurangabad, June 25:

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will be launching a drive to detect illegal water connections, in different prabhags, on each main pipeline supplying water to the elevated storage reservoirs (ESRs) from June 28. The civic authorities have been instructed to file offences against the illegal connection-holders.

There were complaints that ESRs in the city are not getting filled up due to illegal connections on main pipelines supplying water to them. These lines are laid separately to draw water from the Jayakwadi Dam and fill in the ESR. Later on, after the treatment process, the AMC supply the water to the citizens through the separate distribution pipelines network laid in each ward of the city. Taking cognizance of the core issue, the AMC undertook prabhag wise survey to detect illegal connections and found the existence of 1663 to 1855 illegal connections on main pipelines from nine zones of the city.

There is political turmoil in the state. Maha Vikas Aghadi-led government is in danger, but the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, through video-conferencing, interacted with local senior administrative authorities and instructed them to speed up the proposal of a new water supply scheme and resolve the water woes on priority.

Earlier, the chief minister held frequent meetings (online and offline) in this regard. Later on, the meetings are being conducted frequently on an administrative level and instructions are released on daily basis. The water supply is made to the city through 31 ESRs, but there was a complaint that they do not get filled up to the brim. Hence a survey was undertaken and it came noticed that due to a large number of illegal commercial connections and connections on main pipelines supplying water to ESRs, these overhead storage tanks are not getting filled up. Ironically, these illegal connection-holders are enjoying water 24x7. Later on, the survey was continued on a micro level (prabhag wise) and 1663-1855 illegal connections were detected on main pipelines, stated the report submitted by the deputy commissioner (AMC) Santosh Tengale.

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The status of illegal connections is as follows:

- Gandhinagar, Sunday Bazaar, University ESR to Laxmi Colony - 116-149

-Prabhag No.3 - 332

- Prabhag No.4-174

-Prabhag No.5 -76

-Ramnagar -Hotel Deepali Road - 188 to 230.

-Hanumannagar to Shivajinagar - 223 to 255

-Gajanan Maharaj Mandir to Malhar Chowk -450 to 540

-Rahulnagar to Gulshan Apartment - 99 to 114.