Owners of water tankers engaged by the Water Board have threatened to stop plying vehicles if their demand for raising trip charges is not conceded to.
They have set a deadline of two weeks for the Board to act upon their demands. A joint action committee has been formed by the Water Tanker Owners Association and State Motor Transport Operators Association to press for their demand.
Mohd. Khan, chairman, and D. Raj Sampath Rao, general secretary, HMWSSB Water Tanker Owners Joint Action Committee, held talks with the Board's managing director, Adhar Sinha, on Monday and submitted a representation.
They demanded the rate of both free trip and payment trip tankers to be enhanced to Rs.300. At present, the free trip rate is Rs.160 and payment trip is Rs.325 of which the tanker owners get Rs.190. A total number of 450 tankers operate in the city, of which 110 are free trip tankers.
Mr. Sinha promised to look into the demands, it is said.
Tanker rates were last revised in April last. Since then, diesel rates have gone up eight times. Vehicle insurance rate has jumped from Rs.10,000 per year to Rs.21,500. Besides, the cost of engine oil, lubricants, tyres and other charges have increased too. “All this has necessitated increase in the charges paid to tanker owners,” said Mohd. Khan, JAC chairman.
The JAC leaders wanted new filling stations to be opened at Sanathnagar (Allwyn premises), Madhapur and Shaikpet to reduce distance and rush at the Erragadda filling station. They also demanded that tanker owners be paid Rs.190 per trip for the water supplied to Kachiguda Railway Station.
Here, water is being supplied through free tankers but the Board is collecting a commercial rate from the Railways and paying only Rs.160 to the tanker owners, it is said.
