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Officials-tanker owners' nexus ruling the roost

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI MAY 8. Delhi Jal Board might have made up its mind to enhance water tariffs in the Capital to bail itself out of a financial crisis at the expense of the consumers, but crores are being siphoned off by private tankers in connivance with top DJB officials and politicians of the ruling party.

In the past three years alone, DJB has spent Rs. 250 crores on supplying water to Delhiites through non-conventional methods. A major chunk of this has gone to the private tankers. After spending at least Rs. 100 crores on private tankers alone in the last few years, senior DJB officials have suddenly realised that in the hours of crisis the owners of these vehicles resort to "blackmailing'' tactics. These tankers supply 0.3 per cent of the total DJB production.

With such a huge amount, the DJB could have purchased its own fleet of water tankers and run them more efficiently. A recent DJB survey revealed that a majority of the private tankers never reach their destination -- mostly unauthorised colonies and slum clusters. Instead, they land up in industries, water bottling plants, ice factories and farm houses.

Referring to this week's incident wherein a private tanker was caught red-handed in Noida, sources said these operators sell the water in the satellite townships of Noida, Ghaziabad, Shahibabad, Loni, Faridabad and Bahadurgarh. "Most wanted water is of Ganga and their selling rate varies from Rs. 2,000 to 3,000 per tanker, which we give them free for distribution to the water-starved people of the Capital. This is nothing less than a heinous crime. But we are helpless as most of the water tankers are owned "benami'' by influential politicians are friends or relatives of senior DJB officials. Every time an attempt is made to discipline them, the official concerned is shunted out,'' sources revealed.

All this political influence and blackmailing tactics of the private tanker operators was evident last week when they went on strike demanding an increase in their tariff. Ignoring all rules and regulations, the DJB under the influence of political leaders who have stakes in these tankers constituted a committee to study their demands and hike their tariff. The fact of the matter is that only a few months ago these rates were fixed through a tendering procedure laid down by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) manual. "There is no such provision to increase the rate,'' officials said. At least two influential Congress MLAs from Outer Delhi -- having a fleet of water tankers in DJB -- were instrumental in the strike and constitution of the committee.

Files related to these tankers at the water emergencies have their own story to reveal. While as per law, one water tanker can make two trips per day, but the documents indicate that they have made more trips and travelled a distance which normally a water tanker cannot travel in a single day. "If there is an impartial investigation, a major scam would be unearthed,'' sources said. Private tankers are paid per trip, besides for the distance they cover.

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