The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is all set to revise the water tariff and go ahead with the proposal to fix the water meters to Household Service Connections (HSCs).
The VMC has put forth the proposals before the government seeking its direction on hike in water tariff. The corporation officials cite the gross mismatch between expenditure and recoveries on supply of safe drinking water. The corporation is presently spending about Rs.20.50 crore on safe drinking water supply to the public.
However, it was recovering only 40 per cent of the expenditure involved in the water supply.
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The water charges are likely to be Rs.140 from existing Rs.80 per household.
The VMC has been providing the citizens connections at a subsidised rate of Rs.200. It is charging the Above Poverty Line (APL) households Rs.200 and the Below Poverty Line (BPL) households Rs.50. In 2003 the VMC increased the tariff from Rs.50 to Rs.100 per HSC. Later, it was brought down to Rs.80 in 2005.
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The VMC is also planning to take the number of water meters to 50,000 from the existing 7,885 and provide water connections to all households in the city by March 31.
The corporation, in 2007, has set a target of making Vijayawada first city in the country to have to have universal access to treated-water supply. Then, only 66,209 out of more than 1.60 lakh households in the city had tap connections or access to safe water.
As a result of the initiative, the VMC gave 5,705 connections to applicants in the BPL category and 2,702 connections to applicants in the general category taking the total connections close to 75,000 till end of 2009.
The officials could provide connections to as many as 87,295 applicants till March 2010 and the total number of connections given till end of June 2010 stands close to 95,000. At present, there are 1,08,247 HSCs. Of this, 2,964 are BPL and the total property tax assessments are about 1.75 lakh.