Pune’s water tanker OTP system has not been expanded citywide six months after the Pune Municipal Corporation announced it, with operations reportedly limited to Sus and Mahalunge, according to a representation submitted by Sajag Nagrik Manch president Vivek Velankar.
Velankar has asked the Municipal Commissioner to clarify the status of the project and explain why the system has not been extended to other parts of the city. The demand comes as residents continue to depend on private and civic water tankers during supply shortages and as water restrictions are expected to increase demand for tanker deliveries.
The OTP-based system was announced as a mechanism to make tanker distribution more transparent and reduce the possibility of bogus entries, delivery delays, diversion or misuse of water. Under the proposed process, a customer or housing society receives a one-time password through SMS when a tanker reaches the designated delivery location. The trip is recorded as completed only after the recipient enters the OTP into the system.
The system is also intended to use GPS tracking to record tanker movements. This would create a digital trail for each trip and link the vehicle’s movement with confirmation from the person or housing society receiving the water. In effect, the mechanism is designed to verify three points: that the tanker completed its trip, that water reached the assigned location and that the recipient confirmed delivery.
According to the representation cited in the report, the system is currently operational only in Sus and Mahalunge. The proposed coverage had included areas such as Pashan, Baner, Mahalunge and Balewadi, but the reported restriction of the pilot has raised questions about the pace of implementation across Pune. The supplied report does not establish whether the system is functioning uniformly at all tanker points in the two areas where it is said to be operational.
The pilot had earlier been reported by Pune Times Mirror on June 29, 2026, in the context of a proposed expansion of the initiative. At that stage, the system was presented as a possible model for wider use, including in other parts of Maharashtra. The latest representation has shifted attention to the gap between that proposed expansion and the system’s reported reach within Pune.
Velankar has called for the OTP process to be introduced at every tanker point and for the civic administration to publish a clear implementation schedule. He has also sought details on the locations where the system is already active, the reasons for the delay and the timeline for covering the remaining areas.
The issue places the PMC’s tanker-distribution records under renewed scrutiny. For residents who rely on tanker water, a monitoring system has practical value only if each delivery is recorded and independently acknowledged at the point of receipt. The civic administration has been asked to provide a firm answer on when OTP-based verification will be implemented across the city.
