guidelines & deadline Civic body gives operators till Feb 15 to comply, else face action

There are no numbers to evaluate the gravity of the situation, but the water tankers running across the city are a cause for concern as the water they spill has been endangering other vehicles, especially two-wheelers.

Many accidents later, the civic administration has now decided to come up with guidelines on how water tankers can ply, with a February 15 deadline to enforce strict compliance. It is a known secret that most private tankers in the city are operated by some municipal corporators.

“We are framing guidelines. Water tankers will be forced to ensure that there is no spilling of water on the city roads, failing which they will face action,” PMC development engineer (water supply), Pramod Nirbhavane said.

“The spill due to lids purposely kept open or leaks in the tankers have become one of the reasons for accidents on city roads. This inevitably leads to skidding of two-wheelers, sometimes seriously injuring to the rider,” he said.

The civic administration will also install water meters at refilling stations to avoid excess supply to tankers then their payment.

“Tanker operators will be issued refill coupons and water will be supplied based on the amount paid,” Nirbhavane said.

DCP (Traffic) Manoj Patil conceded that the spill from tankers is one of the reasons for accidents on city roads. “We have started penalising water tanker operators whose vehicles leak. The PMC has also been asked to shift their refilling centres out of the city limits,” he said.

... contd.