Pune Water Crisis: Shiv Sena Stages ‘Handa Morcha’ at PMC Over Hadapsar Water Shortage
Pune, 11th March 2026: Members of Shiv Sena staged a large “Handa Morcha” (pot protest) outside the main entrance of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday, demanding regular and adequate water supply to drinking water tanks in the Hadapsar area. The protest was led by Shiv Sena city chief Pramod Nana Bhangire and witnessed participation from party office-bearers, women, senior citizens, and a large number of local residents.
Women protesters broke earthen pots at the protest site to express anger over the alleged neglect by the civic administration. Slogans against the authorities echoed in the area as participants highlighted the worsening water scarcity in several parts of the city.
Residents said the problem has become severe even before the peak summer season. In particular, Ward No. 41 in the Hadapsar constituency is facing a serious drinking water crisis. Although the civic body has installed several public water tanks across the locality for the convenience of residents, protesters alleged that these tanks are not being filled regularly or adequately, forcing people to struggle for potable water.
According to Shiv Sena leaders, repeated follow-ups with the civic administration failed to yield concrete action, prompting the party to organise the protest outside the municipal corporation headquarters.
During the agitation, protesters symbolically parked a water tanker near the entrance of the civic body’s building to demonstrate how public tanks remain empty despite the infrastructure being in place. Women also broke clay pots to highlight the severity of the situation and to register their protest.
Addressing the gathering, Bhangire said the civic body has installed around nine to ten large water tanks in Ward No. 41 of Hadapsar, each capable of storing thousands of litres of water. However, he alleged that the supply to these tanks remains highly inadequate, and in some areas water is being supplied at extremely low pressure, causing hardship for residents.
He demanded that the civic body’s water supply department immediately take action on a war footing to restore regular supply. Bhangire warned that if the issue is not resolved within 15 days, Shiv Sena will launch a more intense agitation “in Shiv Sena style.”
A memorandum highlighting the issue was also submitted to Pune Municipal Corporation Commissioner Kishor Rajaram Gajbhiye.
Several Shiv Sena leaders and local representatives were present during the protest, including former Zilla Parishad member Swati Takle, former sarpanches Rakesh Jhambare and Machhindra Dagade, deputy district chief Amar Ghule, Subhash Ghule, Milind Ahire, Abhimanyu Bhangire, Sachin Tarwade, Pravin Hilge, Pankaj Kondre, Abhijit Borate, Datta Khavale, Sheetal Gade, Asha Yadav, Suhas Padwal, Rahul Labade, Akash Renuse, Akash Takle, Kavita Pawar, Manoj Jadhav, Rani Patil, Smita Sable, Sachin Bhangire, Prasad Sir, Shinde Mama, Deepak Maral, Shantanu Sarkar, Tushar Maral, and Asha Kamble, among others.
