Collector M. Ravikumar has appealed to packaged drinking water companies to bring down the price of canned water.
Speaking to media persons here on Monday, he said that during a recent meeting with the members of packaged drinking water companies association, the proprietors were instructed to sell a can of 20 litres for ₹20. But they wanted the price to be fixed at ₹25. The revised price would be notified in the media within a week.
If the price was not brought down soon, the district administration would sell water cans for ₹15 each through cooperative stores, he said and expressed concern over shopkeepers fleecing the public by selling a can for ₹35 to ₹40.
Only nine packaged water companies had received licence and approvals from all the departments of Groundwater, Food Safety and Pollution Control Board. Fifteen other companies had two licences. It was mandatory for all packaged drinking water companies to get all licences and approvals, the Collector said.
Officials concerned should check the quality of packaged water and also whether groundwater was tapped illegally. The functioning of the packaged drinking water companies would be streamlined and new regulations framed within this month, Mr. Ravikumar said.
He said 78 illegal borewells were sealed. A sealed borewell at Deivaseyalpuram, which resumed operations, was sealed again, Mr. Ravikumar added.
