The water department of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) is battling manpower crunch that is hampering the task of conducting surprise inspections at construction sites to check whether water supplied for drinking is being diverted for building purposes.
According to the town planning department of the NMC, it has given approval to 5,000 building plan proposals over the last financial year. Around 1,500 residential projects are expected to be under construction right now.
Water department officials said that there is a lack of officers at the rank of junior and deputy engineers, who are mainly involved in carrying out surprise inspections at the construction sites.
NMC officials added that the water supply department provides half inch water connection at the construction site for drinking purposes for the construction workers and not for the construction activities.
“A one inch connection provides 500 litres of water per day, which is to be used for drinking purposes for the workers there. Builders also have to give an affidavit stating that they will not use drinking water for construction purposes,” said NMC officials.
Amrish More, a social activist, said that it is the duty of NMC to ensure the source of water being used at the construction site.
Nilesh Chavan, senior project management consultant and former chairman of the Nashik branch of the Indian Institute of Architects denied that any builder is illegally diverting water for construction.
When contacted, a tanker supplier Rajendra Singh Bindra, who has been in the business for the past two decades, said that there are over 60 private tankers by 15 suppliers in the city that are engaged in providing water to the construction sites daily.