Even as water is already in short supply in some regions of the state, anti-social elements are leaving no stone unturned to make a quick buck.
Locals on the outskirts of the Sangli district claim that they are being forced to shell out `15 per bucket of water and the same will increase with the onset of the summer season. The same if supplied by a local government body would come up to around `2 per bucket of water.
Officials, however, said that the police is keeping a check on the water mafia and only authorised vendors are being allowed to supply tanker water to areas facing water shortage.
According to Shailesh Patil, a resident of Ranjani, which is about 55 km from Sangli, the water scarcity problem is being exploited by vested interests in his area. A similar situation is prevalent in small hamlets, villages and settlements, which are at a distance of anywhere between 30-100 km from Sangli. “With water being a precious commodity, those having access to water from Sangli city use it to their advantage. While tanker water is provided by the government once a fortnight, there are people who use it as an opportunity to make money,” Mr Patil said.
When this newspaper contacted one such water supplier, who claimed his name was Subhash Dhende, he maintained that he was doing nothing wrong by charging people for water.
“I provide water to settlements that ask me to do so. The charge is to cover the fuel costs I incur, while transporting water to them. I am only doing what the government has failed to do,” he said, justifying his actions.
A salesman from Miraj, Sameer Shahnawaz confirmed that the people living away from Sangli were being exploited and had to pay a premium for water. “When we visit these small villages, we are asked to pay for a glass of water too,” he said.
An official from Sangli’s civic department said that water supply to the rural areas was being taken care of by the respective gram panchayats and zilla parishads. “We have not received any complaint till now,” the official said.