The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Water charges hike anti-people, anti-poor'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 03, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

`Water charges hike anti-people, anti-poor'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 2. The Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Jagdish Mukhi, today strongly protested against the massive increase in water tariffs announced by the Sheila Dikshit Government and damned it as an "anti-people and anti-poor" move. "The nearly 400 to 500 per cent hike has been unheard of in the past and it is one of the most cruel decisions taken by the Congress Government which talks of the common man,'' he said.

Addressing a press conference, Prof. Mukhi said the 15 lakh water consumers in Delhi were being burdened with a colossal Rs. 300-crore increase "to cover up corruption and mismanagement in the Delhi Jal Board headed by the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit".

"The Delhi Jal Board has become the biggest den of corruption and crores are being swindled in the name of development and taking up new projects that never see the light of day,'' said Prof. Mukhi, adding that the worst sufferers would be the lower income group who would now have to pay anything between Rs. 225 and Rs. 270 against the previous charges of Rs. 30 and Rs. 40 per month. The domestic consumers who constitute nearly 92 per cent of the consumers will have to bear the brunt of the hike upsetting their household budgets.

"What is worse is that people are being asked to pay more for something that is hardly available in quality as well as quantity,'' he said, adding that availability of water in Delhi is 600 MGD against the demand of 860 MGD. Of this, 40 per cent of the water is lost because of leakages and theft leaving hardly 400 MGD at the disposal of the consumers. "The Government is unable to provide drinking water to even 50 per cent of the population in the Capital and it has the audacity to go ahead and raise the tariffs in an unprecedented manner.''

Prof. Mukhi charged that the Delhi Jal Board was totally in the control of contractors and middlemen who are running the show under the patronage of the chairperson of the Board. "To check the losses incurred by the Board there is an urgent need to improve the management and check corruption that has become the order of the day,'' Prof. Mukhi said.

He said that essential services like water should be subsidised by the State Government as was being done in various countries abroad. What was even worse was that religious places and cremation grounds would be charged on commercial basis for the water consumption. On the issue of privatisation of the Delhi Jal Board, Prof. Mukhi said he would raise the issue inside and outside the Delhi Assembly and seek an explanation from the Chief Minister on the issue. Although the Chief Minister has denied any such move to privatise the Delhi Jal Board, the decision to appoint a regulatory body was a clear indication of what was in store for the people of the Capital. Demanding that the hike be withdrawn immediately, Prof. Mukhi said failure to do so would force his party to take to the streets on this important issue.

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