Mumbai, Jun 30 (PTI) Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Uday Samant on Tuesday said as many as 2,257 illegal water connections have been cut in Mumbai in the last 6 months and more such actions will follow in the coming days.
He said orders will be given to crackdown on unauthorized pipelines to combat water theft in the metropolis, where households are facing water cut due to low levels in seven supply reservoirs.
Responding to a Calling Attention Motion in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Samant said between January and June 2026, as many as 2,257 illegal water connections were cut in Mumbai.
“Orders will be given to cut illegal water connections. A 90-day drive will be undertaken for this purpose (by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC),” the minister stated.
Samant was responding on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who handles the urban development portfolio.
The issue of illegal water connections was raised by BJP MLC Rajhans Singh.
In a written reply to the Calling Attention Motion, Shinde said the BMC found 14 unauthorised water connections in Kurla, 22 in Mankhurd-Govandi, five each in Kalina, and Malvani. These unauthorised water connections were being used for construction activities.
The main water supply lines of these illegal connections have been disconnected. Further legal action has been initiated under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, and criminal complaints have been filed in the police stations concerned, he said.
In addition, action has been taken against 30 unauthorised garages that had encroached on roads and footpaths, said the deputy CM.
In the Kurla Ward, along the LBS Marg, unauthorised water connections are often found at hotels, lodges, and commercial establishments. Whenever such illegal connections are detected, joint action is taken by police, local public representatives, and municipal officers to immediately disconnect the illegal connection from the main water supply line, according to the reply.
Such timely action helps prevent water theft and wastage. The BMC regularly carries out drives to disconnect unauthorised water connections. Additionally, under the BMC Water Charges Rules, penalties are imposed at double the normal charges for water that has been illegally used, stated Shinde.
At the ward level, the BMC periodically surveys and identifies unauthorised constructions and takes action to remove them. Each ward office has designated officers responsible for taking action against illegal constructions, he said.
To register complaints regarding unauthorized constructions, the BMC has developed an online system called the “Removal of Encroachments and Tracking Management System (RETMS).” Through this system, complaints regarding illegal constructions are recorded, and the designated officers take action to remove them, the deputy CM added. PTI PR RSY
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