The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Metrowater tanker strike called off

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Metrowater tanker strike called off

Staff Reporter

Board promises hearing to decide rates this month

CHENNAI : The Metrowater Tankers and Mini Lorries Association, which had called a strike demanding higher rates from Metrowater, called off the strike within hours on Friday.

The tankers were back in operation after the association was promised of a hearing to decide on the rates by month end.

Members of the association said that the yearly contract with Metrowater came to an end in January. The current rate per trip was not enough to meet the expenses, and it was therefore decided to quote a higher rate, a member of the association said. Each lorry operates seven trips a day.

Meanwhile, it has been alleged that some tankers sold water procured from Metrowater illegally to private institutions because of the low rate per tanker trip paid to them.

A Metrowater official said that the issue was under study and a decision on new rates would be taken in a week.

At present, 175 lorries of 9,000 litres capacity and 75 mini lorries of 6,000 litres capacity are being operated for city supply, including domestic and bulk supply. Fifteen million litres a day was being supplied to consumers in streets not served by pipelines, as well as additional supply to slum tenements and bulk suppliers.

The brief strike by the association did not affect the water supply as the greater proportion of the city's supply of about 560 mld was provided through pipeline, he added.

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