Pimpri Chinchwad: PCMC’s Mula River Front Work Is a Document of Corruption, Says Waterman Rajendra Singh

Reported by Varad Bhatkhande

Pimple Nilakh, 18th May 2025: The true permission for work in a riverbed comes from the river itself. The Mula River has not granted permission for the ongoing river improvement project. After the monsoon brings floods to the river, a so-called permit from the municipality will not stop the deluge. Waterman of India Rajendra Singh criticized this permission as a document of corruption. He accused the trio of political leaders, administrative officials, and contractors of forming a nexus that even disregards court orders. Amid strong public opposition and environmental harm, he emphasized the need for the Supreme Court to intervene and take suo motu action.

On Sunday (May 18), Rajendra Singh inspected the river front development project on the Mula River. He later interacted with journalists in Chinchwad, where Sarang Yadwadkar, Narendra Chugh, Vijay Paranjape, Dhananjay Shedbale, and others were present.

Singh stated that 75 feet of filling has been done inside the riverbed. The Irrigation Department warned that this work must stop, or it will lead to flooding. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has not purified even a single liter of the river’s water. The river front development project is merely inflating figures. Citizens of Pimpri-Chinchwad want to see the river as it was at the time of independence.

He further alleged that city officials have become contractors themselves, engaging in corruption. When officials turn into contractors, the present and future of the city are endangered. PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh is not performing his duties properly, and Singh warned that the river, the people of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and India’s Constitution will hold him accountable. He claimed that the Commissioner is not working in accordance with the Constitution. They are seeking justice from the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Previously, a wall was built in the Mula River, and now another wall has been constructed 75 feet inward, with soil filled up to that point. Both walls lie within the blue flood line, increasing the risk of flooding. Singh stressed the need to stop this. He predicted that courts might eventually order the municipal corporation to remove the filled soil. The administration claims the blue flood line has been altered, but changing it on paper is futile when the river has not changed its course. They have lodged a complaint with the NGT, with a hearing scheduled for June 17.

Neglect of Demands and Action After Nine Years

In 2016, environmentalists in the city demanded that PCMC halt constructions in the blue flood line of the Indrayani River. The municipality ignored these demands at the time. Recently, a court ordered the demolition of constructions within the Indrayani River’s blue flood line by May 31. Accordingly, PCMC took action over the past two days, demolishing 36 bungalows in the blue flood line, causing significant losses to residents. Singh noted that timely attention to their demands could have prevented this situation.

Government Changed, Work Resumed

During the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, senior leader Sharad Pawar, then-Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray, and Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan held a meeting in Mumbai to review the river front development project. Environmentalists highlighted the project’s flaws, leading to an immediate halt in the work. Sharad Pawar had explicitly stated that the project would not proceed. However, with the Mahayuti government coming to power, Rajendra Singh noted that the river improvement project has resumed.