MWRRA forms panel to monitor Ambazari dam work progress

 

 

 

 

Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) has taken suo-motu cognisance of the issue of leakage of water and weakening of Ambazari dam walls. In the hearing held via video-conferencing on Thursday, MWRRA directed to form a committee to monitor progress and implementation of work of Ambazari dam. MWRRA also took cognisance of alleged neglect and pitiful condition of other lakes and water bodies in the city including Gorewada, Sonegaon, Futala, Shukrawari, Sakkardara, Naik Talao, Lendi Talao, Pandharabodi etc. It asked VIDC, in consultation with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), to inspect all these lakes and water bodies in Nagpur and submit affidavit containing status report on them within one month.

 

Regarding encroachments near waste weir of Ambazari dam, MWRRA asked VIDC to conduct site inspection ‘within 10 days’ in consultation with NMC and submit a report. The committee comprises District Collector or his nominee not below the rank of Deputy Collector/Additional Collector as Chairman, and Municipal Commissioner or his nominee not below the rank of Additional Municipal Commissioner as Member Secretary. Pravin Mahajan, water researcher whose letter has been treated as petition suo-motu by MWRRA, has been included as NGO member of the committee.

 

The other members of the monitoring committee include Executive Director of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) or his nominee not below the rank of Chief Engineer of Water Resources Department (WRD), Director of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) or his nominee not below the rank of head of the department (preferably of Civil Engineering), Chairman of Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) or nominee not below the rank of Chief Engineer, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of Maha Metro or nominee not below the rank of Director, and Chief Engineer of Dam Safety Organisation of WRD or nominee not below the rank of Superintending Engineer. Shirish Apte, retired Superintending Engineer of WRD; and Kishor Warambhe, retired senior officer of WRD, have been included as expert members. Dr Ramnath Sonawane, Secretary of MWRRA, will co-ordinate with the committee. MWRRA, in its order issued on Thursday, asked the committee to hold its first meeting prior to December 20. Also, the Authority directed Municipal Commissioner to submit compliance report regarding implementation of the directions.

 

The next hearing is scheduled by video-conferencing on December 23 at 3 pm. The hearing through video-conferencing was conducted by MWRRA coram comprising Vinod Tiwari, Member (Law); S D Kulkarni, Member (WRE); and Dr S T Sangle, Member (Economics). Pravin Mahajan, petitioner; Prakash Pawar, Superintending Engineer, WRD; Shweta Banerjee, Superintending Engineer, Water Works, NMC; Adv Sudhir Puranik, counsel for NMC; Manoj Ganvir, Executive Engineer, NMC; and Ravindra Khajanji, Resident Deputy Collector, were present during the hearing. NMC counsel Adv Sudhir Puranik raised preliminary objections on jurisdiction of MWRRA and stated that the matter was not maintainable. MWRRA rejected the preliminary objection and “regretted for the approach and the stand” taken by NMC “without appreciating the gravity of the issue.”