The twin city of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has disconnected the water supply to Kalyan railway station for 22 hours due to non-payment of water arrears, which amount to about 4.4 crore. Following the cut in water supply, the passengers, the railway staff, including railway colonies, railway hospital government railway police and Railway Protection Forces, were left in a lurch.
The officials said that despite having issued a notice to Kalyan railway station to pay the water arrears of ₹ 4.4 crores, the concerned authority did not heed it. On Saturday evening, Assistant Municipal Commissioner J Ward, Sachin Tamkhade, along with officials, cut off the water supply to the station.
Tamkhede stated that a total of 4.4crore in water arrears for the past year and 1.4 crore in water arrears for the current year have been paid by Central Railway. We cut off the water supply at 4 PM on Saturday and resumed it at 2:30 PM on Sunday. The meeting will be held with railway officials next week to discuss payment of the remaining water bill.
According to KDMC officials, the water supply at Kalyan railway station had been resumed under the instruction of Commissioner Dr. Indu Rani Jakhar. The civic body stated that action was taken by the Water Department of KDMC on Saturday evening. Following the cut in water supply, it was later resumed at the request of Central Railway officials to begin the process of paying ₹ 1.4 crore.
Anil Dubey, Secretary of the Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh, stated that the KDMC act is unjustified and inhumane ahead of the new year (Gudi Padwa). CRMS strongly opposed the KDMC’s act and demanded that water connections be restored immediately in wake of Gudi Padwa.
