Raising water tariff in Bengaluru inevitable, says Karnataka Deputy CM
Bengaluru civic agencies at Cauvery Bhavan. He pointed out that the water tariff has not been increased since 2014, leading to an annual loss of Rs 1,000 crore for the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). «The electricity bill for the Board has increased from Rs 35 crore to Rs 75 crore.» «Water tariff hike has become inevitable.
The officials of the BWSSB have had discussions with all the MLAs of the city. The Board is finding it difficult to raise funds as the banks are refusing to lend due to the losses,» Shivakumar, who holds Bengaluru development portfolio, explained.
To a query on the quantum of the water tariff hike, he stated that no decision has been made yet, and it will be determined after thorough discussions.
He emphasised that even the poor should contribute a token amount, such as one paise per liter, to help the Board accurately measure water usage. The Minister also recalled that the previous Congress government had allocated Rs 20 crore to provide water to slums and the urban poor, but the BJP government halted the initiative. However, Shivakumar assured that the government plans to revive the scheme for the urban poor, although water usage will be measured even if a token charge is applied.
«The water supplied to slums is being misused in many places. We have formulated a plan to collect accurate information on water consumption across the city. The illegal connections must be regularised,» he added.
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