The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Janaagraha walks out of water project

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 02, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Janaagraha walks out of water project

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Janaagraha has announced that it is disengaging itself from the Greater Bangalore Water and Sewerage Project (GBWASP).

The organisation was involved by the Government on behalf of the citizens, in the project to provide drinking water from Cauvery to the seven city municipal councils and one town municipal council in and around Bangalore, along with sewerage facilities for the residents.

A Janaagraha spokesperson said the organisation interacted with the Government regularly over the past year, consistently requesting that a water policy for the urban areas be framed as quickly as possible.

"We have also requested for citizen consultation in the decision-making process on this project and this has not been addressed. So, we are formally withdrawing from the GBWASP," the spokesperson said. Janaagraha's involvement had come in for criticism from certain civil society organisations on the ground that the entire project was aimed at "privatisation of water", making it difficult for the urban poor to get safe drinking water.

In a letter to the Government, Janaagraha founder Ramesh Ramanathan said they had sought some clarification regarding the project, with specific relation to water supply for the urban poor. There was serious concern about the kind of water supply options to be offered to those in the urban slums.

"Specifically, there is great concern about privatisation, and what this could mean from a pricing perspective. Janaagraha's view is that the three-tier Jalamitra structure for citizen participation, including representatives of municipalities, should be involved in consultations for taking any decision on service options," the letter said.

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