Bombay High Court Pulls Up PMC Over Uneven Water Supply; Civic Body Summons Citizens for Key Consultation
The Pune Municipal Corporation faces court scrutiny over irregular water supply and calls for resident associations to attend a public consultation to map grievances.
Pune | November17 ,2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come under stern scrutiny from the Bombay High Court over claims of erratic and unequal water distribution in several city localities, despite reservoirs reportedly holding ample storage. The civic body has called a meeting of resident-welfare associations, housing societies and NGOs for an 11:30 am consultation in Shivajinagar to review complaints from areas such as Ambegaon Budruk and Dhankawadi, which have repeatedly voiced concerns over low or inconsistent supply.
The consultation arises from a public-interest petition accusing the PMC of failing to manage its water-distribution systems effectively. According to the petition, several housing societies continue to receive sub-standard water supply while paying full municipal water tax—and many residents have been forced to rely on private tankers, incurring extra cost. The court has directed PMC to justify its distribution networks, detail corrective action taken so far, and outline how it intends to redress citizen grievances.
At the upcoming meeting residents have been asked to submit written complaints which PMC officials will review live. The civic body has also indicated that this will form part of the compliance report it must submit to the court. The process marks a notable shift toward participatory consultation and public accountability in a sector that often runs behind the scenes of municipal governance.
Experts say that while the underlying issue is infrastructural—old pipelines, pumping stations, pressure imbalances—there is also a systemic failure in monitoring and equitably distributing water across zones. Areas on higher ground or with older networks often bear the brunt of shortages. The court’s intervention is being seen as a wake-up call for the municipal machinery to improve transparency, adopt real-time monitoring and enforce zones of reliable supply.
For local residents the consultation marks both an opportunity and a test. It offers a structured platform to raise individual society grievances in an official forum, but success will depend on how visibly PMC addresses supply disparity and reduces dependence on private-water tankers. The petition alleges that many residents pay full taxes yet endure intermittent supply and additional out-of-pocket costs—a situation described in the petition as fostering an unchecked “tanker-mafia”.
In conclusion, the PMC’s forthcoming consultation and court-directed compliance report could set a new benchmark for municipal-water governance in Pune. The municipality now faces a choice: deliver tangible improvements in water-distribution fairness or risk deeper legal and reputational consequences. The coming weeks will test whether this initiative remains a formality or evolves into effective action.
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