Mumbai: Aaditya Thackeray is responsible for water woes, says Ashish Shelar

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar; (right) Aaditya Thackeray

After the issue of water shortage in Mumbai arose, MLA Ashish Shelar held Aaditya Thackeray responsible for the situation. Thackeray had revoked the Gargai dam project and forcefully implemented the desalination of seawater. That project too is unfinished, alleged Shelar.

Many parts of Mumbai are receiving water at a very low pressure, while some areas are not receiving any water supply. "The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has not constructed any new dams nor made any alternative water arrangements in the past 10 years. Rather, it revoked the Gargai dam project and forcefully implemented the desalination of seawater. That project too is unfinished. Hence Mumbai is experiencing this water deficit. The water crisis is entirely the fault of Aaditya Thackeray and his UBT Sena," alleged Mumbai BJP president Shelar.

While talking to media persons, Shelar informed that the Dr Madhavrao Chitale committee was appointed by the BMC in the 1990s to study the water supply mechanism in Mumbai and to create an action plan. The committee had prepared an action plan for three dams - Gargai, Pinjal and Middle Vaitarna for the BMC. The BMC completed the Middle Vaitarna project in 2014 but since then, not a single dam project has been taken up by the civic body.

According to Shelar, Mumbaikars are facing the consequences of utter chaos created by Aaditya Thackeray and his UBT Sena. "The water shortage is causing a lot of hardship for the people of Mumbai. According to the BMC, there is approximately 34 per cent water leakage in Mumbai. Contracts worth crores of rupees have been awarded to plug this issue, but no one knows what has actually transpired," he said.

Aaditya Thackeray and the Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson did not respond to calls and messages to comment on the issue.