Mumbai, April 14 (NationPress) A day after the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) activated the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) on Monday ended their four-day strike after discussions with the city's civic body chief Bhushan Gagrani.

The association had initiated an indefinite strike following notices served to private ring well and borewell owners supplying water to the tankers.

During negotiations, municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani assured the association that the notices would be annulled until the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) resolves the issue.

The Disaster Management Act, 2005, granted the BMC the authority to requisition all private water tankers and borewells in the city. Although the administration expressed support for the MWTA’s requests during the discussions held at the municipal commissioner’s official residence, it also issued a stern warning against the continuation of the strike.

The strike had severely affected the water supply to residential societies, industrial, and commercial establishments that depend on tankers for their daily water needs. Notably, the association has over 1,700 registered tankers, each with a capacity of up to 20,000 litres, supplying water across various parts of Mumbai.

MWTA spokesperson Ankur Sharma stated that the state government has agreed to present their demands to the Union ministry regarding the guidelines established by the CGWA.

“All cases registered against us by the BMC have also been withdrawn. Hence, we have decided to terminate the strike,” he added.

He further noted the challenges in enforcing these regulations in a city like Mumbai.

“Unless some relaxations are provided by the government, tanker services will not resume,” he mentioned.

Association Treasurer Amol Mandhare confirmed the strike's conclusion, stating they did not intend to inconvenience Mumbaikars but had no alternative.

“We have presented all our demands to the BMC Commissioner. He has pledged to address this with the Central government. We are also considering taking legal action regarding this, and all BMC notices will be rescinded. Water supply will resume immediately,” he stated.

He explained that the notices from the BMC required ring well and borewell owners to either cease operations or obtain an operational No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the CGWA for their wells.

Additionally, the notices mandated owners to apply for a new license from the CGWA to qualify as water supply agencies.

According to CGWA guidelines, a license will only be granted to well owners if the well is located on a land parcel with a minimum size of 200 square metres. Furthermore, the guidelines restrict the number of tankers that can fill water from a well to a single tanker. Operators are also required to install flow meters to monitor water flow.