KOCHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has demanded a set of assurances from the State Government, including phasing out of public taps, user fee for treatment of solid waste and sewage, hike in municipal revenue tax and programmes for HIV/AIDS awareness among workers, for releasing financial assistance to the five municipal corporations in the State.

The charter of demands of the international funding agency, along with the general guidelines regarding the projects that are to be implemented using the aid, was sent to the Mayors of the five corporations last week.

The ADB has sanctioned nearly Rs.1,200 crores for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kozhikode Corporations for sustainable development programmes, including improvement of drinking water system, urban transport, drainage and measures for solid waste treatment.

The municipalities in the State would get assistance from the urban development fund, which is to be formed as part of the ADB support programme for the corporations.

The State Government should ensure that all the stand post public taps would be replaced by piped meter connection for all the residents of the cities by 2007 March, thus checking the loss of drinking water. Corporation councils should decide to collect tax for mobilising funds for the repair and maintenance of the improved drinking water distribution system. The deadline for the councils to take a decision to this effect has been fixed as March 2008.

The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) should be authorised to hike the drinking water tariff from 2010 for mopping up resources for the maintenance and repair of the public distribution system of drinking water

KWA should be entrusted with the task of reducing the distribution of "non-remunerative drinking water,'' preventing the loss of water and disconnection of water supply on non-payment of water tariff.

On the assessment of property tax, the ADB has suggested that tax should be assessed on the basis of plinth area of the buildings and the system should be in place from 2006-'07 fiscal.

All municipal corporations should prepare action plans for the collection of users fee for sewerage treatment, solid waste treatment and improved efficiency for revenue collection.

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