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Delhiites gearing up to protest against water privatisation

Staff Reporter

The residents would refuse to pay water bills from November 1

PUBLIC HEARING: Madhu Bhaduri, convenor RWC and former Ambassador to Portgal, Former Supreme Court Justices, D.P. Wadhwa and S.C. Aggarwal, at a `Jansunwai' organised by Right to Water Campaign, in New Delhi on Monday. — Photo: Shanker Chakrava rty

NEW DELHI: After tasting success in their protest against the increase in power tariffs, Delhiites are now gearing up for a "long battle" with the Delhi Government to force it to shelve its World Bank-aided water privatisation plan.

The "civil disobedience movement" will begin with residents refusing to pay water bills from November 1 and then holding protest rallies and marches across the Capital exposing the Government's "faulty plans" in the name of improving the city's water situation.

The first step towards this agitation was taken here on Monday when several residents' welfare associations (RWAs) and social groups along with many eminent personalities gathered under the banner of Right to Water Campaign (RWC) and held a "Public Hearing (Jansunwai) on 24x7 (proposed water project in South Delhi)" pledging that they would never allow the Government to privatise the water distribution in the city as it will have "drastic and lasting implications" on the citizens.

Arundhati Roy participated

Apart from RWAs of South, West and East Delhi, those who participated in the event included Booker Prize winner and author Arundhati Roy; retired Supreme Court judges S.C. Aggarwal and D.P. Wadhwa; Magsaysay awardee and social activist Aruna Roy; former Union Water Resources Secretary Ramaswamy Iyer and Parivartan's head and the Campaign's convenor Arvind Kejriwal. A large number of students and people from unauthorised-regularised colonies also shared their experiences and voiced their queries.

Informing that several RWAs and other citizens' forum had pledged their support, Mr. Kejriwal said: "The idea behind today's event was to discuss the issue with the Delhi Government and the World Bank officials, who refused to attend the meeting terming it as a futile exercise, which itself proves that they have no respect for people's rights.

They did so as they know that we have all the documents to expose their nefarious designs behind the 24x7 project. We have proved this in front of the Planning Commission earlier and we will do it again when we make our presentation at Yojana Bhavan on October 19."

Terming the movement as a big fight towards people's right for water, author Arundhati Roy said: "History itself proves that private companies are only concerned about their profits and least bothered about people's welfare. Privatisation of water will not be a good experience for Delhi, as it has been proved in similar cases in other cities the world over. If this project is allowed in Delhi, it will subsequently be implemented in other cities, converting India into a water-starved nation. The Government should ensure that water is not just for the rich but also for poorer sections of society."

Informing that alternate plans to improve DJB's functioning and distribution network were being jointly prepared by technical and management experts from the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), social activist Aruna Roy said governments never deals with such projects in a transparent manner.

Transparency needed

"We want transparency in whatever the Government does. Water is not like any other issue; it is related to a man's basic right of water. Indians are making major projects successful the world over, so we do not need foreign agencies to meet our basic requirements. We want the Government to take care of basic needs of the poor and not ensure profits for private and multination organisations," she asserted.

Pointing towards "failed" power distribution privatisation project, other experts said there has been no improvement in the power supply situation after privatisation and the fate of the water privatisation would be similar. Speakers pointed out that what was needed was not foreign consultants and companies but to make the water utility more efficient and accountable to the people.

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