Mumbai water tanker association ends strike after meeting BMC chief
What's the story
The Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) has called off its indefinite strike after four days, bringing relief to residents. The MWTA had stopped the water supply on Thursday, April 10, after notices were issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to private well owners supplying water to tankers. The disruption impacted several sectors, including residential societies, railways, and construction projects.
Resolution reached
MWTA calls off strike after meeting with BMC
The strike has been called off after MWTA representatives met BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Monday. Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel's intervention on Sunday had led to this meeting. In their meeting, the BMC assured the association that all notices issued to water tanker suppliers had been kept on hold and no new notices would be issued in the near future.
Protest details
Standoff over compliance requirements sparks strike
The standoff started on April 10, when members of the MWTA stopped the water supply across the city in protest against new compliance conditions mandated under revised guidelines of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). MWTA runs around 1,800 tankers supplying almost 350 million liters of water daily. They quoted stringent conditions for obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) as the main reason for their protest.
Government response
BMC invokes Disaster Management Act amid disruption
To deal with the water supply disruption, the BMC invoked the Disaster Management Act, 2005, on Sunday (April 13) to commandeer private tankers, wells, and borewells. The civic body released an SOP for requisitioning water supply vehicles and personnel through its legal and disaster management departments. Despite appeals by CM Devendra Fadnavis and directives by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to ease the NOC process, MWTA continued to protest till Monday.