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Press Release, 14th November 2007,
* MCGM proposes back door water privatisation.
* Citizens challenge proposal to introduce pre paid water meters
* Agitated citizens attacked by Goondas (goons)
* MCGM files cases of unlawful assembly against seven protesting activists who joined 'Public Consultation'
Mumbai Paani, Pani Haq Abhiyan and citizens of Mumbai stalled the Public consultation in Mumbai called by the MCGM to discuss water reforms in Mumbai. The public consultation was called to present the findings of the World Bank appointed consultant firm Castalia at Deenanath Hall, on 13th November 2007. The consultation was attended by the honarable mayor, corporators, representative of the World Bank, PPIAF, CEO of Castalia, NGO's, CBO's, Youth groups, and general citizens.
The citizens challenged the MCGM proposal on the basis of Castalia
Report to divide Mumbai into different zones and give contracts for
water works. The MCGM had earlier promised in earlier public
consultations that no decision on the Castalia report will be made
without due consultation with the general public. Contrarily to these
public statements, the Standing Committee decided to outsource water
works, invited tenders and allotted six companies in six zones without
public consultation and consent. Moreover the outsourcing decision was
taken despite the total rejection by the citizen groups of the
different water privatisation models recommended by Castalia at the 2nd
stakeholders meeting on June 03, 2007. Even the Hydraulic Department
have rejected this report saying that Castalia's findings are not new
for them but their hands are tied by the functional constraints within
the MCGM
Surprisingly the MCGM has come out with solutions like pre-paid water
meters for post 1995 slums which even the World Bank consultant did not
propose. This has been done without looking into the experiences of
different countries where pre paid meters were introduced where the
poor has been denied water because of poor purchasing capacity leading
to epidemics like cholera and death. While many people's organisations
have expressed their willingness to pay affordable rates for legal
access to water, we believe it is the responsibility of the state to
provide basic services to its citizens, especially the marginalised and
the destitute.
We question the farce of public consultation and demand that the
reforms be immediately rolled back. The reforms proposed by the MCGM
represent a situation where one crawls, when asked to kneel. It is by
no exaggeration when one young activist doubted an underlying
corruption and accused the MCGM of being an agent of World Bank.
It is quite unfortunate that the activists who raised their voice in
the public consultation were beaten up by goondas of the Chairman of
the Standing Committee. It is even funnier when MCGM filed a criminal
case of unlawful assembly against those who came for the public
consultation. We call upon every political party, people's
representatives, intelligentsia, artists, students and general citizens
to join hands to defeat the evil designs of privatising water and fight
to right to water for all.
Sitaram Shelar, Afsar Jafri, Sanjeev Shamathulla, Kalpana Gawade, Surabhi Sinha,
+919833096924 ; +919833070803
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