Kerala - Palakkad   

Clear water charge dues, local bodies told

PALAKKAD: The Kerala Water Authority Employees Union has urged the Water Resources Department to collect all pending dues of water charge from local bodies to tide over the financial crisis faced by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA).

In a statement here on Thursday, Union president K. Sundaran and secretary P.N. Subramanian said the local bodies had to pay arrears of Rs.353.82 crore. However, the amount had been fixed at Rs.250 crore.

At a meeting convened by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac on December 24, 2008, it was decided that the amount would be paid in instalments. On the basis of this assurance, the KWA took a bank loan of Rs.250 crore at 12 per cent interest to pay the Kerala State Electricity Board to clear pending electricity charges. However, the KWA was yet to receive the pending dues from government organisations and local bodies. This had resulted in huge loss as interest to the KWA. It said though the KWA was trying to clear its electricity charge dues, the KSEB had disconnected power supply to some pumping stations in Ottapalam sub-division. This had led to the closing down of many drinking water projects in the area.

The statement said the local bodies of the district had to pay an amount of Rs.199.46 lakh as water charges to the KWA, whereas the Authority had to pay an amount of Rs.69.03 lakh only as electricity charges to the KSEB.

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