Mumbai: Western Railway has demanded a staggering Rs 395 crore from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as Right of Way (RoW) license fees for underground water pipelines that traverse railway-owned land across Mumbai.
The demand covers a 10-year period and must be paid in advance, according to documents obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by prominent railway activist Samir Zaveri.
"These pipelines form a vital part of Mumbai’s water supply network, carrying filtered drinking water to millions of residents across the city. Despite their critical role in public welfare, the railway authorities have calculated the RoW fees based on prevailing market rates of the land above the pipelines — a valuation that has shocked civic officials and public policy experts alike" said Zaveri.
“BMC supplies clean, filtered drinking water to the public at just 5 paise per litre — one of the most heavily subsidized water rates in any Indian city,” Zaveri said. “By treating essential services like water supply as a revenue source, Western Railway is undermining the principle of public welfare and inter-governmental cooperation.”
Zaveri has appealed to the Ministry of Railways and the central government, requesting a waiver or significant reduction in the Right of Way (RoW) charges, citing the public utility of the pipelines. He cautioned that imposing such steep fees could create a harmful precedent for other critical civic infrastructure projects that need to traverse railway land.
