The Hindu : Hike in water charge ruled out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 24, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Hike in water charge ruled out

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 23. The Water Resources Minister, T.M. Jacob, has refuted reports about another increase in water charge.

He said here today that there was no proposal to increase the charge now and that reports to the contrary were baseless. The charge in force on April 1, 1999, would continue. Though there was a recommendation for increasing the charge for overcoming the Authority's financial crisis, the Government had not approved it. Instead, the Authority would overcome it by collecting its dues and enforcing maximum financial discipline in the execution of projects.

He said the Authority proposed to introduce bi-monthly billing system for the water supplied by it in stages throughout the State. This was being done on the basis of widespread complaints from consumers.

The Minister who reviewed the system introduced on an experimental basis in some parts of three corporations felt that the consumers would be able to remit the water charges without much ado if reading was taken once in two months and bills were given to them. The complaints, if any about the bills, could be settled then and there. He said that 202 persons had been redeployed as Meter Readers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode districts. The Authority had 7.91 lakh domestic, 64,662 non-domestic consumers and 1.72 lakh public water taps.

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