Karrm residents turn to rain and nullahs for water

AMID the pending water dues that run into crores and the Karrm developer abandoning the residential project in Shahpur the 140 occupants of Karrm Residency have resorted to rainwater and water from nullahs in the past few weeks after the common pumping motor malfunctioned The occupants had been procuring water through water tankers and getting it pumped to the buildings with the motorManoj Benbanshi 31 has been residing in Sector 2 for six years with five family members ldquoWater scarcity has always been a problem The situation will worsen as the monsoon ends We are currently using rainwater that gets collected in the nullah We use this for washing For consumption we get potable waterrdquo Benbanshi saidldquoThings are not too difficult for us as we stay on the ground floor Those staying on higher floors have to pay additional delivery charges for the water to get delivered as the lift is not operationalrdquo Benbanshi said ldquoEven the tankers supply muddy water from nearby rivers The water is not fit for consumptionrdquo Benbanshi addedWhistleblower Prabhuram Giri a resident of Sector 3 showers and washes clothes in public washrooms at railway stations ldquoWhile travelling for work I visit the nearest railway station and pay R10 for a shower and to wash clothes in public toilets During the monsoon I keep the overhead tank in my building open to collect rainwater As I am the only occupant in my building I get sufficient waterrdquoAccording to Giri 5060 families reside in Sector 1 and 80 families in Sector 2 and 3 of Karrm Residency ldquoThe residents mostly rely on tanker water which costs around Rs 1100 to Rs 1200 per 10000 litres of water and a separate Rs 30 per 20 litres of potable waterrdquo GiriGiri claimed that some occupants got the pump room up and running by installing a substandard motor to move the water from the underground water storage tank to individual buildings ldquoTwo months ago the motor burnt due to overload I had opposed the connection as it was being illegally operatedrdquo Giri saidAlso read Mumbai Ambitious BMC vows to secure 119 lakh manholes in one yearThe developer Ms Karrm Infrastructure Private Limited has defaulted on water bills worth R1250 crore since 2011 to the state Irrigation Department The developer had procured water from the Bhatsa dam The developer provided water to residents through tankers for a while and later stoppedAccumulating filthBenbashi added that the lack of maintenance has also meant that the residential project is getting filthier by the day ldquoWe do not know when these problems will be over Since the developer has abandoned the project the complex has become a haven for snakes scorpions etc The sewers and filth become unbearable The gram panchayat and Zilla Parishad do not bother to fumigate the place Some residents are spending from their pocket to maintain the areardquo Benbanshi said Yatin Chudasama a businessman from Mulund who owns a flat in Sector 3 said ldquoThe developer has left many works incomplete and people who reside there are left in the lurchrdquo he saidlsquoWonrsquot pay taxrsquoThe Karrm Residency Sector 3 Federation CHS Proposed formed by Giri and other residents is considering stopping payments of property tax due to lack of maintenance ldquoThe gram panchayat levies Rs 4000 to Rs 6000 property tax Of the 3140 flats owners of nearly 400 flats have been paying the tax but now we have decided not to pay it We are not getting even basic services like water supply from the Zilla Parishad We have information that they have collected around R30 lakh in taxes from Karrm Residency The Zilla Parishad is dodging our questions and RTI please on how the money has been usedrdquo Giri saidmidday has been reporting on the scam involving 11500 homes wherein Karrm developers got their project sanctioned through forged documents While Giri and other residents have approached the Bombay High Court against Karrm developers they have also written to the Zilla Parishad MSEDCL and police regarding alleged power theft in the complex