On December 7 hundreds of activists, carrying placards, distributing leaflets, and shouting slogans, gathered at Azad Maidan, just opposite the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters (MMC). That day, the Standing Committee of the MMC was to take a decision on introducing prepaid water meters in Mumbai. The activists were organized under the Paani Hakk Abhiyan- an umbrella organizations representing several mass organizations such as Lok Raj Sanghathan, NAPM, Joy Social Group, Daya Sada, CRH (Committee for Right to Housing), Prerna, Maharashtra Yuvak Parishad, Republican Sena, Asha Kiran and others.

Seeing the militant mood of the people, the Standing Committee was forced to defer its decision to the next meeting scheduled for December 19. The protestors vowed that they would come back with even greater numbers for the next meeting.

In 2005, the MMC and the Maharashtra Government, under pressure from the World Bank, appointed a French Company, Castalia to carry out a pilot study on Mumbai’s water supply and the possibility of it being run by private corporations. For this pilot study, Castalia was to be paid a handsome Rs. 300 crores. Castalia was to undertake the pilot study in Mumbai’s K-East Ward, which happens to be the largest source of revenue for MMC from water collection, since it holds a number of very large industries as well as five star hotels. However, 20% of the residents in this ward live in slums. It must be noted that 50% of Mumbai’s residents live in slums and this is the section of people who will be worst affected by the water privatization program. Immediately after the MMC plans were announced, peoples' organizations, especially those in K-East Ward mounted a campaign against the proposal to privatize water supply.

On November 13, 2007 Castalia called for a meeting of all the stakeholders, the MMC, the Maharashtra Government, the people and their organizations at Deenanath Mangeshkar Natya Manch Hall, Vile Parle (E), to present the results of their pilot study. Many elected corporators were also present at this meeting. Nearly 800 slum dwellers, organized under the banner of Paani Hakk Abhiyan, were also present at that meeting. Inaugurating the meeting, Castalia presented the results of their study, showing that Mumbai’s water supply is poorly managed; that in many places, the water lines and the sewage lines are next to each other causing contamination to the water, that there were many non- functional or illegal water meters After Castalia’s presentation ,the representatives of the Maharashtra Government (from the Congress -NCP Alliance) and the MMC (from the Shiv Sena- BJP Alliance), announced that the authorities had cleared a proposal to immediately install prepaid water meters in all the slum dwellers houses built after 1995.

This was immediately challenged by the members from the audience who went to the mike and asked how even before the Pilot Project was completed, and without taking the views of the people of Mumbai into consideration on the solution of the water question, the authorities could announce such a plan. At the same time speaker after speaker denounced the authorities and said that they were trying to divide the people into those who came after 1995 to Mumbai and those who came earlier. They declared that the availability of sufficient quantity of potable water is a fundamental right for every human being.

Terrified of the people’s wrath, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the MMC abused the activists while goons of some political parties tried to physically beat up the protestors. The enraged protestors blocked the streets just outside the venue of the meeting and forced the Chairman to come out and apologize for his remarks. The police tried to arrest some of the activists, but sensing the mood of the protestors, were forced to release them.

The activists angrily denounced the government, the authorities and the police as well as the multinational companies and the World Bank who are working hand in glove with the government, against the interests of the people. They pledged to step up their struggle in defence of the right to water supply for all.