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Hyderabad
By K.V.S. Madhav
HYDERABAD, SEPT. 23. The Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has decided to increase the water tariff for non-domestic and commercial users from October 1. Domestic users, however, have been spared from the hike. The new rates for non-domestic and commercial users who have consumption above 200 kilo litres per month would be Rs. 35 per kilo litre (KL) as against Rs. 25 per KL now. In contrast, the domestic users pay Rs. 6 per KL. The Board hopes to raise an additional Rs. 2.5 crores every month from the non-domestic and commercial sectors to meet the shortfall arising out of the additional burden accruing from the Krishna water project and also the newly-introduced subsidised water connection scheme for slum-dwellers.
Rs. 8-cr. burden
The Krishna water project entails an additional Rs. 8-crore burden every month on the Board -- Rs. 4 crores alone for power consumption to pump Krishna water to the city from a distance of 140-odd km and an equal amount towards debt servicing of the project. The subsidised water connection scheme costs the Board another Rs. 1 crore with slum-dwellers requiring to pay only Rs. 1,200 per connection, that too in 12 equated instalments, as against the regular tariff of Rs. 2,500 per connection. "All this has burdened the Board in a big way forcing us to effect a marginal increase in the tariff for non-domestic and commercial users. We have to recoup from the financial burden," the HMWSSB managing director, B.P. Acharya, told The Hindu here on Thursday. He said the tariff for these sectors was far less in Hyderabad when compared to cities like Chennai (Rs. 45 per KL) and Bangalore (Rs. 60 per KL). The tariff in Mumbai too was Rs. 35 per KL. The new rates, he said, would have an impact on only a few users. There are 611 non-domestic and commercial users, mostly industries and big hotels with swimming pools, as against the 4.60-lakh-odd water connections in the city.
Meter discipline
In a similar revenue-raising move, the HMWSSB also fixed its sight on those without water meters. Calling for meter discipline, it has decided to rein in users who were avoiding installation of water meters or payment of bills for years together. Beginning October 1, the minimum charge for houses without water connections would be Rs. 100 per month as against the present flat rate of Rs. 90. The flat sum is being collected from customers who do not have meters, or those with meters that are either dysfunctional for more than three months continuously or found to be removed or not repaired. Further, the customers would be slapped a surcharge of Rs. 50 every month progressively till they complied, the HMWSSB managing director said. "For far too many years, people have avoided paying bills. Even worse, hundreds of houses do not have meters. The Board has to get this unaccounted-for revenue," he maintained.
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