The strike called by a section of private water tanker operators operating from Aruvikkara late on Saturday was called off on Monday after officials of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and the district administration held talks with representatives of tanker operators.
KWA Managing Director Ashok Kumar Singh said the operators officially demanded an additional ramp at Aruvikkara and also permission to collect water at night from the PTP Nagar outlet of the KWA. Both demands have been agreed to, he said, adding that they had agreed to call off the strike after the district administration too held talks with them.
The tankers would now have four out of 10 ramps instead of the existing three from where they can draw water.
With Aruvikkara, PTP Nagar, and the Vizhinjam outlet too open, the number of outlets is more and services for people who depend on private water tankers, mostly private hospitals, hotels and other institutions, apart from a few apartment complexes, are expected to improve.
Mr. Singh said there was no disruption of water supply anywhere in the city as was reported in a section of the media on Monday.
The reports were a result of a statement that was released from the Aruvikkara division only to a few newspapers, saying that there would be no water supply in several areas of the city due to maintenance work to be taken up on the 1200-mm pre-stressed concrete transmission main carrying water from Aruvikkara to the city.
However, the work, which pertained to plugging a minor leak between Kummi and Aruvikkara, was carried out in less than two hours without stopping the pumping of water from Aruvikkara, Mr. Singh said, stressing that there was no disruption of water supply at all.
