A year on, Mira-Bhayandar water scheme a pipe dream

A day after Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik raised the banner of dissent at the monsoon session in Nagpur against the BJP-led governance by terming the much hyped ‘Surya Water Scheme’ as a poll gimmick, corporators of the party in the MiraBhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) registered their protest on Wednesday by gifting Mayor Dimple Mehta (BJP) empty earthen pots and mocked the administration by cutting a cake to mark the failure of the project on its first anniversary.

Work on the 2018 MLD Surya Water Scheme, which had remained a pipe dream for seven years, had finally seen the light of the day when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan laid the foundation stone for the project on 11, July, 2017 — exactly a month before the MBMC polls. With Surya dam at Dhamani village in Jawhar as the source, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) had chalked out an elaborate project to provide bulk water supply amounting to 403 MLD, which would be divided between Mira-Bhayandar and VasaiVirar in a proportion of 218 MLD and 185 MLD respectively. Significantly, the MMRDA had resolved to complete the project within an estimated time frame of 34 months. However, the actual ground work is yet to begin.

“Yes, it is true that the project is in troubled waters after stiff opposition by locals. However, the technical survey is almost complete and nods from the forest department are expected in a few days, following which pipe-laying work will commence on land which is not under dispute,” said an MMRDA officer.