NITI Aayog advisor on Water and Land Resources Avinash Mishra has cautioned that India could face water woes in the future due to effects of climate change and hence the need of the hour is to study traditional methods of water-management for water conservation.
Mishra was on Wednesday was speaking on ‘Freshwater Ecosystems and Challenges’ during the workshop series titled ‘Institutionalised Skilling Ecosystems for Advanced Realisation of Sagar Vision’ to drive the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework, organised by Pune-based Maritime Research Centre (MRC) along with Indo-Swiss Centre for Excellence (ISCE) at the College of Engineering, Pune.
Mishra said, “In India, currently 1,999 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) water is available. Out of which, 1,140 BCM water is available for usage and 690 BCM water derives from sources like rivers, lakes, while 450 BCM water comes from underground wells. There are a lot of problems in the way we conserve water and its distribution. India can face water woes in the future due to effects of climate change. In this scenario, we are focusing on solving problems of water conservation and management. This includes ways of waste water treatment and its reuse and changes in agricultural methods.”
“To solve the current issue of water conservation and management, with the help of modern technology, age-old systems can be used effectively,” he said.
According to the PMC property tax department, Rs68 crores in dues are pending from the state irrigation department, ₹18.57 crores from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, ₹3.12 crores from the state forest department
PUNE: While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been forcing citizens to pay their property tax dues, it has been keeping mum about the dues pending from various government offices/departments. That too when total property tax dues from various government offices/departments stand at Rs109 crores till March 2023.
Civic activist Vivek Velenkar said, “The PMC serves notices to the common man and sometimes even attaches properties. However, it is keeping mum on dues pending from various offices/departments.”
According to the PMC property tax department, Rs68 crores in dues are pending from the state irrigation department, ₹18.57 crores from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, ₹3.12 crores from the state forest department, Rs1.13 crores from the College of Engineering Pune, ₹26 lakhs from BSNL Pune, ₹18.75 lakhs from Sassoon Hospital, Rs16 lakhs from B J Medical, and ₹10 lakhs from the railways.
Velenkar said, “The state irrigation department used to go to the extent of threatening the PMC over dues. Sometimes, it would seize the PMC pumping motors at Khadakwasla. However, the PMC is not taking any action against the irrigation department for recovery of dues.”
On his part, PMC property tax department head Ajit Deshmukh said, “We are trying our best to recover dues from all defaulters. We are in discussions with various government offices to get property tax dues.”
A senior officer from the property tax department said, “Some offices need to take permission from their central offices and that’s a lengthy process. Hence, they are getting delayed in paying their dues. But it’s a matter within the government and can be sorted out by discussions.”
According to PMC property tax department officials, the civic body has so far managed to collect Rs1,757 crores in property tax dues. With nine days left for the current financial year to end, the authorities expect a last-minute rush to pay the dues.
Last year, the PMC collected Rs1,845.91 crores in property tax from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 with a total 861,671 property owners paying taxes. Last month, the property tax department of the PMC conducted a survey of private commercial sports complexes that have not yet paid their property tax. One-hundred-and-four such complexes have already been identified and notices have been sent to 40 of them.