The recent increase in water charges by the Coimbatore Corporation has spared the residents of added areas — the 11 local bodies that merged with the Coimbatore Corporation a couple of years ago.
People in Kavundampalayam, Kurichi, Kuniamuthur, Veerakeralam, Vadavalli, Vellakinar, Thudiyalur, Kalapatti, Saravanampatti, Chinna Vedampatty and Vilankurichi continue to pay the old tariff.
And they will continue to do so for another year, as at the time of annexing the local bodies, the Corporation had said that it would revise the water charges for three years.
Not uniform
The water charges the residents of the added areas pay is not uniform.
A few pay the same amount as the old city area residents but most pay at least 50 per cent less than what the old city residents pay. Residents of Vilankurichi, which was a village panchayat, prior to the annexure pay the lowest. The disparity in water supply is not the only challenge the Corporation will face when it tries to levy a uniform rate sometime next year.
All the 11 local bodies have a flat rate system in that irrespective of the consumption, the residents pay Rs. 100 of Rs. 50 or Rs. 60 a month.
The same holds good for commercial water connections as well.
This is because the connections are not metered, say councillors who represent the added areas.
None of the local bodies has fixed meters. Only if they do so will they be able to have a slab rate system as the Corporation has.
Bulk connections
Another issue at hand is all the local bodies treat domestic bulk connections (water supplied in bulk to apartments) as individual connections and levy charges for apartments based on the number of connections availed. The number invariably equals the number of flats.
Councillors in added areas say that the Corporation, prior to bring in uniform water charge, should first repair or replace the water supply pipelines to make the supply on a par with the old city area. Only then the increase will have a meaning.
Equal charge
Equal charge for equal supply should be the norm.
Sources in the Corporation say that the civic body is engaged in improving water supply by initiating a host of measures, which include replacement of water supply pipeline network, construction of over head tanks, replacement of supply main, installation of generators to ensure continuous supply among others.
The Corporation is doing the work not only to bring about parity in supply but also provide a 24x7 water supply in the future.
The civic body will soon take up a project to provide water 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
