Located along the Mumbai-Nashik Expressway, Ghoti Budruk, a village panchayat has achieved what countless other panchayats aspire to — a kitty of Own Source Revenue (OSR) by collecting fees and taxes from its residents.Though the residents of Ghoti Budruk, under the Igatpuri taluka of Nashik district, have access to urban amenities — schools, hospital, bank branches and a veterinary hospital — their struggle for adequate water supply continues, as the scheme sanctioned under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) remains incomplete.“Water is supplied once every six days,” says Bajirao Dange, village secretary, Ghoti Budruk. Those who have tanks can store water, but the poor suffer because they lack storage facilities.“We were hoping the water supply problems will be resolved after the Jal Jeevan Mission… that has not happened,” Dange said.Water supply infrastructure has been stretched with the growing population as the existing water supply scheme in the panchayat started in the 1960s and covered very few households, Dange told The Indian Express.Ganesh Gode, sarpanch of Ghoti Budruk said, water is supplied to “only about 25,000 people of the panchayat’s estimated population of over 35,000”.“At a meeting with the officials in Nashik in March this year, they promised water supply would start within a month but it did not happen. The officials are not doing anything,” Gode said, adding that they have written a series of letters to the state government.Story continues below this adAccording to the JJM dashboard, the tentative completion date for the Ghoti Budruk water supply scheme is September 30, 2025. The scheme was approved in 2021-22 at an estimated cost of `20.81 crore. When the work order was issued on October 10, 2022, the cost was revised upward to `22.29 crore while an expenditure of `4.69 crore has been incurred so far, including Central’s `3.35 crore and state’s `1.34 crore.According to a letter by Dange to Executive Engineering, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (Water Supply and Sanitation Department), Nashik, a week after a meeting of gram sabha of Ghoti Budruk panchayat on December 30, “substandard quality of work under the JJM” was flagged while also mentioning discontent of villagers who demanded action against the contractor. Social activist Balu Sakhala also pointed to the “substandard work” in Budruk causing people to suffer as drinking water is supplied “once in 8-10 days”. He said that a proper monitoring of work should be done.Officials say Ghoti Budruk has become ‘Atmanirbhar’ by generating its own sources of revenue. An expert committee formed by Ministry of Panchayati Raj on the OSR of Rural Local Bodies found that against the potential of `42,159 crore for 28 states of house tax, total OSR from all sources was `4,953 crore for 2019-20 in 25 states.The Ministry has also advised rural bodies to improve their own sources of revenue and issued an advisory in August 2021 on the subject of ‘Making Gram Sabha Vibrant’, suggesting a sample calendar indicating month-wise topics to be covered for discussion in the gram sabha agenda.Story continues below this adIn this calendar, one of the subjects suggested for review by panchayat included lease of common property assets for improving its Own Sources of Revenue (OSR).Unlike other village panchayats, Ghoti Budruk has made big strides in generating revenue streams. In FY 2024-25, its income of `3.96 crore exceeded spending of `3.63 crore. Most of its income came from own sources of revenue: `1.20 crore as property tax; `48.35 lakh as water tax; sanitation and other charges `3 lakh; entertainment, lighting and trade `12.80 lakh; rent from panchayat properties `38 lakh and compensation of Octroi tax `52 lakh.(The writer was in Ghoti Budruk on an invitation of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj)Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Jal Jeevan Mission