Date:31/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083150660100.htm

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LDF’s green signal for water tariff hike

Special Correspondent

10 per cent quota for forward caste BPL candidates in government colleges

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State committee of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has given the green signal for a hike in water tariff. The exact quantum of hike will be decided by the Cabinet.

Briefing reporters after a LDF State committee meeting here on Saturday, front convener Vaikom Viswan said the tariff hike was basically intended to off-set the expenditure being incurred by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) for paying electricity charges.

Indicating that the government would be going in for differential or progressive tariffs to ensure higher tariff for higher water usage, Mr. Viswan said: “The LDF has left it to the Cabinet to decide on the exact rate of tariff hike, but has insisted that it should not place a heavy burden on the ordinary people.”

The committee, he said, had also cleared a proposal for reservation of 10 per cent seats in all government-run arts and science and professional colleges for candidates from forward communities belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. In universities, the reservation will be applicable to 7.5 per cent seats. The proposal for sanctioning more self-financing professional colleges was also endorsed on condition that those wishing to set up such colleges would enter into an agreement with the government and charge only ‘affordable’ fee in 50 per cent of seats, Mr. Viswan said.

KSRTC revival package

The LDF convener said the committee had given its nod for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) revival package permitting the government to write off the loans granted to the corporation over the last several years and allowing the corporation to swap its unutilised landholdings with the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation to defray loans taken for purchase of bus chassis. The corporation would also begin steps for wage revision.

The general objective of the measure was to bring down the debt service burden of the corporation, which stood at Rs.22 crore a month, he said.