Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Despite assurances from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde during early Jan that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar would receive a smooth water supply within the next two months, the sluggish progress of the ongoing water supply project is likely to prove such a promise hollow once again.Besides the sluggish pace of various project components, residents in several city areas still do not have tap connections, and therefore, a water supply is not in sight for them in the near future.“The assurance of water supply in the next two months” was a poll gimmick by the ruling party politicians to win municipal elections. Our area still has not received tap water connections, and the process could take a long time,” said Renuka Beedkar, a resident of the Satara area.Nilesh More, a resident of the Mitmita area, said he will have to rely on private water tankers again this summer by shelling out huge amounts of money to suppliers. “Many borewells in our area go dry after winter. We have to arrange private tankers and jars. Only God knows when we will tap water,” he said.The new Rs 2,740 crore water supply project has a total of 52 overhead tankers, of which only seven have been handed over to the local municipal corporation, with another 22 expected to be handed over by the end of March. There has been no official word on the time of completion of the remaining tanks. The project details mention laying of 1,800km internal pipeline, but around 40% of the work is yet to be over. Notably, the project has already missed the earlier set deadline of March 2024.When contacted, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikarn (MJP) officials said the water supply project has been progressing fast. “Different components of the project, including the important work of construction of a jackwell is almost over. Remaining works will be completed in a time-bound manner as the CM and his team are closely monitoring the progress of the project,” a senior MJP official said.Newly elected mayor Sameer Rajurkar could not be reached for a comment. A senior BJP politician said the CM’s promise of water in “the next two months” has put the necessary pressure on govt officials. “Without such pressure, no impetus can be offered to the project. Authorities know they have to answer to state government and people as well if the project is delayed,” he said.
