‘Water rights of Dhanori residents from weaker sections must be protected,’ says RTI activist

Hindustan Times: Pune: Sunday, March 11, 2018.

Right to Information (RTI) activist and social worker Haroonbhai Mulani has been fighting PMC administrative lethargy and exposing the unprofessional delivery of services by the civic body for over a decade. He has been instrumental in finding out many scams related to the PMC nullah cleaning project through apt usage of RTI for citizen empowerment. He spoke to Nadeem Inamdar on what ails Dhanori and the need for integrated development of the area through active citizen engagement and public discourse.

How is Dhanori different from the other suburbs?

Dhanori is home to middle class residents and a number of retired army, air force and other services personnel who have made the area their home owing to the peaceful surroundings. Similarly, retired government officials, including policemen too, reside here in large numbers. Dhanorigaon was initially a small village where people from different parts of the city and the country bought land for cheap and constructed houses. Later, frenetic pace of development led to creation of high-end, premium projects populated by the IT and other professionals. After finalisation of the Development Plan (DP), the area developed very fast with the PMC constructing new roads and installing street lights which gave new impetus and enhanced the standard of living in the area. Dhanori is surrounded by the airport on one side and the army land on the other side. A population over a lakh resides in the area which starts from Survey No 1 and ends with Survey No 70.

What is the crime rate in the area?

There have been increased incidents of house break-ins and also chain snatching incidents in the area. Since a large number of educated residents reside here, major crimes are not reported in the area. Police need to increase patrolling during the day and the late night hours. Besides, revelers indulging in binge drinking and casual drinkers do cause trouble sometimes. However, strong policing will definitely put an end to the crime menace in the area.

What further improvements do you suggest?

Dhanori needs high pressure drinking water supply as citizens are facing severe water crisis which aggravates during the summer season. Munjoba Vasti needs a strong drainage system and good network of internal roads. The water tank constructed is being utilised for supplying water to the elite residential societies, while poor citizens living in tenements, chawls and middle class areas are being ignored. PMC must give equal treatment to the area residents in terms of water supply and ensure that water rights of the poor residents are protected.