Pune district has approved ₹11.17 crore for electricity connections to 161 Jal Jeevan Mission water-supply schemes that had been completed but remained closed because they could not secure power connections, according to a report by Sakal. The schemes are now in the final stage of implementation and are expected to become operational after the connections are provided.
The allocation has been made through the district annual plan after the cost demanded by Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, or Mahavitaran, exceeded the provision included in the schemes’ original administrative approvals. The higher electricity-connection costs had prevented several completed rural water projects from being commissioned.
The funding decision was taken through the District Planning Committee to address the shortfall. The 161 schemes are part of 1,239 projects being implemented in rural areas of Pune district under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to provide piped water supply to households.
The allocation addresses a specific but critical stage in public infrastructure delivery: completing the physical work does not automatically make a water-supply scheme operational. Without electricity for pumping and related systems, completed schemes can remain unused, leaving the intended service unavailable to residents.
The district has also sought ₹10.18 crore for electricity connections to another 114 Jal Jeevan Mission schemes. Funding for these projects has not yet been approved, and efforts are continuing to secure the required amount, the report said.
Veerdhaval Jagdale, president of the Pune Zilla Parishad, said that keeping water-supply schemes closed because of the absence of electricity connections had created difficulties for people in rural areas. He said funds had now been made available for 161 schemes and that these projects would be started soon.
The district administration is also focusing on water losses from leakage in bunds. According to Jagdale’s statement reported by Sakal, leakage is causing stored water to be depleted earlier than expected, and measures are being prioritised to prevent such losses.
The Pune district figures show that the Jal Jeevan Mission’s implementation challenge extends beyond construction. Of the 1,239 schemes being undertaken in the district, 161 had reached completion but were awaiting an essential utility connection, while another 114 require a separate funding request for the same purpose. The latest allocation is intended to move the first group from completed works to operational water services.
The immediate next step is the completion of electricity connections for the 161 schemes. Authorities are continuing efforts to obtain funding for the remaining 114 projects, while measures to control leakage from bunds are also being pursued.
