PMC Water Rule: What It Means for Buyers in Pune's 32 Merged Villages

What happened?

Hindustan Times reported that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a revised policy, dated October 12, covering the 32 villages brought into city limits on October 4, 2017, and June 30, 2021. Developers in these villages must now arrange adequate water for residents at their own cost until the corporation's own supply reaches sufficient pressure.

According to the paper, a developer must file a revised undertaking along with the building permission proposal. Builders already gave written assurances earlier, but residents complained that these were often ignored once flats were sold, and housing societies ended up paying for tankers. City engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar issued the circular, and officials told the paper that loopholes in the old undertakings made it hard to pin responsibility on anyone.

The villages named in the report include Mhalunge, Sus, Kondhwe-Dhawade, Nanded, Khadakwasla, Mundhwa, Manjari, Narhe, Handewadi and Wadgaonsheri, among others. Officials said the outcome will depend on PMC actually enforcing the undertakings and penalising non-compliance.

Which sectors are affected?

• Pune merged villages
• Under-construction housing projects in the merged villages
• Housing societies and resident welfare associations
• Developers and builders seeking building permissions

Potential impact

The change moves a recurring running cost, private water tankers, from residents towards the developer, at least on paper. For new projects seeking approval, builders may need to budget for water arrangements, and that cost could be partly passed on in pricing. How much is unclear, and our data gives no basis to put a figure on it. The city-wide average of 10500 per sq ft is not a guide to these villages.

The policy applies to proposals made after the revision, so many existing societies may see little immediate relief. Buyers will gain a firmer written commitment to point to, but a commitment is only useful if the corporation acts on breaches. Water availability is unlikely to change prices on its own; location, builder track record and supply timelines will still matter more.