Residents from Navi Mumbai’s Taloja township marched into Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Thursday, demanding urgent action to address what they described as a crippling water crisis that has persisted for months.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, members of the Taloja Phase 1 and Phase 2 Cooperative Housing Society Association said that water supply has remained stagnant for years despite a rapid increase in population and housing projects in the area. Many families are now dependent on expensive private tankers, they alleged, while new residential developments in Taloja, neighbouring Kharghar, and other suburbs are stalled due to the lack of assured water supply.
The protesters submitted an eight-point charter of demands to the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which included prioritising water supply to existing residents before issuing new building permits, increasing supply to match population growth, installing inlet and outlet meters to prevent water theft, fully utilising the Phase 2 water tank and building additional tanks for mass housing complexes, addressing leakage problems in CIDCO’s mass housing projects and taking action against officials responsible for poor construction. Other than this, the residents also demanded reconstructing the damaged roads under CIDCO jurisdiction and establishing a fire station, government hospital, bus depot, and pollution monitoring system in Taloja.
Following the demonstration, protesters were handed a letter from the Urban Development Department’s Joint Secretary, directing CIDCO’s Managing Director to convene an urgent meeting with the agitators within two to three days. The outcome of this meeting will be sent to the Urban Development Minister, after which a follow-up meeting will be scheduled with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to work towards a “final solution” to the crisis.
Government officials also acknowledged complaints from residents of Sukhsagar, Dipsagar, Anandsagar, and Swapnasagar housing complexes in Taloja Phase 3, who have reported both water shortages and construction defects.
“This problem has gone on for far too long. We want written assurances that our demands will be met,” said Prasad Subhash Dhagepatil, president of the Taloja Phase 1 and Phase 2 Cooperative Housing Society Association, warning that protests will intensify if no concrete measures are taken.
With the monsoon tapering off, residents fear the shortage will worsen in the coming months unless authorities act quickly.
