Mumbai: The Mumbai Water Tankers Association (MWTA) on Tuesday announced to call off he strike after the state government assured them that their demands will be considered.
The association was assured that no legal action will be taken against them for not following the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) guidelines.
Strike since February 9
The association has been on strike since February 9, demanding changes in the guidelines issued by CGWA and against action by the Mumbai police.
The indefinite strike affected several infrastructure projects including coastal roads, construction sites, etc. To resolve this issue, a joint meeting was called by the Mumbai (suburban) guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting was also attended by Sanjeev Kumar, additional municipal commissioner, Nidhi Chaudhary - Mumbai suburban collector, Dilip Sawant, additional police commissioner, Jasbhir Singh Beera, chairperson of MWTA. The association called off the strike on verbal assurance.
Mumbai suburban guardian minister Lodha said, “The required correspondence will be held with the Central government and CGWA regarding demands of the association. The government is positive about solving the issue but the strike called by the water tankers is causing inconvenience to the citizens. They should start supplying water immediately."
Rajesh Thakur, a representative of the association, said, “We are ready to apply for the license and pay revenue as mandated by CGWA. The state government has assured us that our demand will be put forth before the Central government. We have been assured that a representation from the state regarding our demands will be sent to Delhi.”
Ankur Sharma, a spokesperson for MWTA, said, “Tanker owners have been sent notices by various departments of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The civic body has also written to the Mumbai police commissioner asking to file cases against tanker operators violating the guidelines. A meeting of all the members of the tankers association was held at Goregoan this evening where they called off the strike.
