Kharghar water shortage sparks chaos as protesters scale CIDCO office gates

Laxman Vhankhande, MNS Kharghar unit secretary. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The ongoing water scarcity in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, took an aggressive turn on Tuesday as residents, backed by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists, staged a protest outside the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) office. The demonstration quickly escalated into chaos when officials reportedly refused to meet the aggrieved citizens, prompting protestors to scale the compound gates to force their entry.

Who is accountable?

For months, several pockets of Kharghar have been reeling under severe water shortages. Frustrated by the lack of solutions, a large crowd, accompanied by MNS activists, marched to the CIDCO office to demand accountability from the administration. When security personnel blocked the main entrance and prevented them from meeting the authorities, several protesters began scaling the high perimeter gates, leaping into the office compound.

Tussle with guards

A large crowd marches to the CIDCO office in Khargar

The situation rapidly spiraled into a physical tussle between the security guards and the agitated protestors. The citizens pushed past the barricades, raising slogans against CIDCO's management, following which police were deployed to manage the situation.

‘Fix this now'

"We are left with no choice. There is absolutely no water in areas like Swapnapurti. For the last two years, we haven't received proper supply. We don't even have water to use the toilets. Are we supposed to live like this? We want CIDCO to fix this immediately," said a woman protester.

Turning blind eye

MNS Kharghar unit secretary, Laxman Vhankhande, who participated in the protest with plastic water bottles strapped to his chest, accused the authorities of turning a blind eye to public plight to profit the tanker operators.

"Every single society here is forced to rely heavily on private water tankers. There is a clear kickback system between the builders, tanker operators, and corrupt officials. This is just a warning protest. If CIDCO doesn't act, our next agitation will be on a much larger, unstoppable scale.