Friday, Feb 04, 2005
Friday, Feb 04, 2005 |
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Andhra Pradesh
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Hyderabad
By Our Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD, FEB. 3. Close on the heels of the Left parties and women's organisations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined issue with the water board, mounting pressure on it to withdraw the `irrational' water tariff hike. At a press conference here today, the BJP city legislator, G. Kishen Reddy, and the city president, Venkataramani, demanded that the old tariff structure be continued. "The water board is no commercial establishment to increase tariffs to cover up additional financial burden on it. If the board was going through a financial crisis, the Government can make special grants," they contended. They suggested that power consumption by the water board be charged in the domestic category and not at commercial rates. The onus was also on the board to weed out illegal connections, which were to the tune of 40 per cent of its total connections, and plug leakage losses, which were put at 20 per cent.
Confusion prevails
Meanwhile, confusion prevails over the new tariff structure with consumers wary about the quantum of hike that could hit them on March 1, when the new bills are delivered. "Though the board is insisting that a majority of the users would not be affected, an increase appears to be imminent. Whether it would be marginal or huge remains to be seen," remarked D. Ananda Rao, resident of Isamiya Bazar. While board authorities had been insisting that 75 per cent of consumers would be unaffected and another 20 per cent only marginally affected, there is scepticism doing the rounds. The bone of contention is the new slab system. "Earlier it was a flat rate, but now we hardly know where we will figure in the consumption pattern, " says a housewife in Bagh Lingampally.
Fears allayed
Allaying these fears, the board Managing Director, B.P. Acharya, said the new tariff structure was the most equity-based one. "The average bill for consumers using water only for basic needs will not cross Rs. 250 per month," he assured. And that remains to be seen.
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