The Pune Municipal Corporation has revised its Pune water supply policy to make builders responsible for arranging and funding water for housing projects in 32 newly merged villages until the civic body begins providing an adequate supply at sufficient pressure.
The revised policy requires developers to submit updated undertakings with building permission proposals. Their responsibility will apply at the building permission, completion certificate and occupancy certificate stages, according to an official circular issued by PMC City Engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar.
Under the policy, developers must provide water for at least three years or until the PMC starts actual water supply, whichever is later. They will have to arrange water through borewells, tankers or temporary storage facilities and bear the costs of supply and maintenance during this period.
The 32 villages were merged into PMC limits in two phases, on October 4, 2017, and June 30, 2021. Several housing projects in these areas have reportedly continued to depend on private water tankers, with residents bearing the cost even after developers had sold the flats. The PMC Building Permission Department had previously issued warnings to developers over the issue.
The civic administration said the earlier undertaking system had not clearly fixed responsibility after projects were completed and occupied. This made it difficult for the municipal corporation to take firm action when developers stopped supplying water, Pawaskar said.
“We were unable to fix developers’ responsibility because of shortcomings in the undertakings related to water supply in the merged villages. As a result, the municipal corporation had to face the ire of residents. Therefore, a revised policy has now been formulated,” Pawaskar said, according to the report.
The new requirements also extend beyond the approval process. Developers must disclose their water-supply responsibility in sale deeds, allotment letters and documents connected with the registration of cooperative housing societies. Booking agreements for residential flats and commercial units must explicitly state the developer’s obligations.
Water supplied through tankers or borewells will have to undergo laboratory testing, and developers will be responsible for ensuring that it meets appropriate quality standards. The policy therefore assigns builders responsibility not only for arranging water but also for maintaining its quality while residents remain outside the civic network.
Developers who discontinue supply in violation of the policy may face penalties, suspension of permissions and restrictions on new approvals. The policy also provides for criminal action in serious cases, although the supplied report does not specify the amount of penalties or the procedure for initiating criminal proceedings.
The revised policy followed directions from Mayor Manjusha Nagpure during a general body meeting. Its immediate effect is to make water provision a continuing development obligation in the merged villages, rather than an assurance submitted only when a project seeks initial building permission. The PMC’s next implementation step will be to apply the revised undertaking requirements to relevant building proposals and approval stages.
