Mystery posters target BJP in Pune

Puneites are steamed about the unscheduled water-cuts they are facing and this simmering anger, directed at the BJP government, is finding expression through posters prominently displayed at the city crossings.

They have accused BJP of ruining their city. However, the mystery of who has put this poster, remains unsolved. “Gulli tey Dilli tumcha thaat/ 100 nagarsevak, aamdar 8/ Punyachya paanyachi laavli vaat (your pride extends from the gully to Delhi/ 100 corporators and eight MLAs/ You have wreaked havoc with Pune’s water supply),” proclaim the posters, signed, “Tumchya kaarbharala kantalele Punekar” (Punekars tired of your antics).

The department has shut down two pumps at the water purification plant on Parvati hill, causing a shortage of 250MLD (millions of litres per day) in the city. Many neighbourhoods are not getting enough water. Water in the Khadakvasla dam will barely last this summer, so municipal officials have said they have been forced cut water supply. The stored water is exclusively for drinking and agriculture, they said.

On January 17, the city had witnessed sudden ‘floods’ when the Parvati water purification tanks on Sinhagadh Road overflowed at 6.30am, causing waterlogging on Navsha Maruti and Chunabhatti roads in the area. It was left to those on an early morning walk to alert the civic officials. It is estimated that a few lakh litres of water went down the drain within two hours, thanks to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) negligence. On September 2018, on a wintry morning, the Mutha canal wall had collapsed, causing sudden floods in the vicinity.