Pune: Parents Asked to Pay for Water Pipeline at PMC-Run School, Probe Ordered
Fursungi, 28th June 2025: A controversy has emerged at a Pune Municipal Corporation-run school in Uruli Devachi, where parents were reportedly asked to pay ₹100 each toward installing a drinking water pipeline. The request has sparked concerns over the civic education department’s functioning and left officials red-faced.
The school, recently handed over to the municipal administration, currently depends on water tankers due to the absence of a dedicated water supply line. However, the tanker supply was proving inadequate, leading acting headmaster Nawanath Taware to collect money directly from parents to connect the storage tank to the school’s internal tanks.
Parents were taken aback after receiving a WhatsApp message asking them to contribute ₹100 each, questioning how a government school offering free education could demand money for such basic facilities.
A parent, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We send our children to a municipal school because education is free here. Now they’re asking for ₹100, and tomorrow they may ask for even more. Many families can barely manage. Where will poor children go if this continues?”
Explaining his decision, acting headmaster Taware said, “There was a persistent drinking water shortage. I raised the issue with senior officials but got no solution. So, with parents’ consent, I tried to collect funds to lay the pipeline for the children’s benefit.”
However, PMC Education Department Deputy Commissioner Vijaykumar Thorat called the action “wrong” and ordered a detailed inquiry to establish the facts.
“If the education department is spending money on students, then who exactly was supposed to quench their thirst?” asked a parent, pointing to questions over whether the school receives enough funding to provide even basic amenities.
