Armed with the provisions of the amended Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Act that enables the board to book criminal cases and penalise those involved in meter tampering and water theft, the board is all set to initiate action against violators who do not get their connections regularised by December 31.
BWSSB official sources told The Hindu that the board would use the Act effectively this time. The BWSSB Act, which was amended in 2010, has new sections (108A and 108B) that allow the board to book violators and punish those found guilty with a three-year jail term or with a penalty of Rs. 5,000 and more depending on the dimension of the site.
Although water theft has been a cause of concern for long, the board had not used the provisions of the Act effectively till now because of political pressure and opposition by the public.
At least 1.5 lakh houses in the city’s new areas get their daily supply of Cauvery water although they have no water meters. Nearly 1.3 lakh people have obtained metered connections in the last two years. This includes 40,000 connections sanctioned this year. Overall, 46 per cent of the city’s daily supply of 1,350 million litres of water per day (mld) goes unaccounted for.
BWSSB chairperson Anjum Parvez told The Hindu that the board would largely focus on the new areas now. “We have given people ample time till December 31 and we expect at least 25,000 people will get new connections in the next one month,” he said.
However, those who do not take this deadline seriously would be slapped with notices after which legal action as per the Act will be initiated. “While we do not want to harass people, we want them to understand the importance of having a metered connection,” he said.
