Water supply will not be privatised: Commissioner

Water supply will not be privatised: Commissioner
The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

Project to become functional by February end in Hubli
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# Water tariff to be arrived at after getting the opinion of the residents
# Eighty per cent of the work under the project has been completed, says Manivannan
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DHARWAD: P. Manivannan, Commissioner, Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, has categorically stated that there is no move to privatise water supply through the World Bank funded 24x7 drinking water supply pilot project being implemented in the twin cities.

Addressing presspersons here on Sunday, the municipal commissioner clarified that the French company, which is executing the work of laying new pipelines for the project, had been hired only for sharing the technical expertise and would be only looking after the maintenance of the water supply system.

The existing pipeline is not strong enough to sustain the pressure required for supplying water round the clock. Therefore a new technology is being used for laying quality pipeline, and the foreign company is hired for the same work, he said.

The residents need not have to pay more for the water they get.

Based on the amount of water they use, they have to pay the tariff and there is no question of charging them more, he said. The water tariff would be arrived at only after getting the opinion of the residents. For the purpose a meeting would be convened on January 6, he added.

Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) are implementing the pilot project with the association of Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.

Slum dwellers and families falling under low-income group will continue to get free water supply through public taps. Ashraya houses will get free water supply, he explained.

Mr. Manivannan said already eighty per cent of the work under the project had been completed. The pilot project would become functional by the end of February in Hubli and by March 31 in Dharwad, he said.

However the commissioner admitted that there were lapses on part of the KUIDFC officials and Rural and Urban Development Association (RUDA) that has been entrusted with the work of educating the residents of the wards .