Thane: In a major embarrassment for Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao has rolled back a controversial proposal to snap water supply to all newly constructed and occupied buildings in the city, following a backlash from the developer community and prospective homebuyers.The proposal emerged from a water supply review meeting chaired this week by senior civic officials, including the newly appointed city engineer. In what was described as a unanimous decision, officials had recommended disconnecting water supply to new structures as a desperate measure to conserve the city’s dwindling reserves.However, the announcement triggered widespread anxiety among developers, prospective homebuyers and residents who had recently moved into newly constructed buildings.Sources said Rao took serious note of the decision taken by his subordinates and moved swiftly to distance the administration from the proposal and issued a statement detailing how the civic body was exploring alternative measures to augment water availability, while making it clear that there was no intention to proceed with the proposed curtailment.The episode has exposed the growing pressure on the administration as Thane grapples with a water deficit of roughly 50-80 million litres per day.Several residential buildings across the city are already occupied by thousands of residents, while an equally significant number of projects are awaiting or are scheduled to receive occupation certificates in the coming days. Any blanket restriction on these structures would have potentially affected households.The developer community said withholding essential civic amenities after projects were sanctioned would be unfair to both developers and homebuyers.
