Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) feels it can get away with the new tariff levied on multi-storied buildings and other categories as it enjoys monopoly in water distribution.

HMWSSB Managing Director K.S. Jawahar Reddy said this bluntly to a group of apartment dwellers who met him on Wednesday to seek rationalisation of the charges. He told the bewildered flat owners that the minimum tariff of Rs. 125 was not at all higher. "You can even argue that water should be supplied free since power is given free," Dr. Reddy remarked.

A large number of consumers under the auspices of Federation of Associations of Colonies and Apartments (FACA) submitted a memorandum seeking withdrawal of the hike. They dubbed the hike unfair as a multi-storied building got same quantum of water as an individual house and moreover the measly quantity had to be shared by all the apartments. They contended that the alternate day water supply was irregular and inadequate and many complexes were forced to purchase water at exorbitant rates. At least the Board should supply water through tankers at concessional rates. Many suggested that the new tariff should be deferred till such time the Board was in a position to supply adequate quantity of water.

The HMWSSB chief said that multi-storied buildings were placed in category II and charged Rs. 6 per kiloliter (KL). The assumed quantity being 15 KL per flat. He said the flat owners could go for individual connection so that they could pay on consumption basis.

Another alternative was to have a bigger diameter pipe to improve water supply. The Board would change its pipeline too. The third option for the multi-storied complexes was to reach an accord with the Board for supply of a certain quantum of water.

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