Water tariff hike inevitable, says Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar announced that a water tariff increase is unavoidable due to ongoing financial difficulties faced by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board BWSSBThere has been no water tariff hike in the last 1213 years The BWSSB is managing its finances with great difficulty Water tariff hike is inevitable and it will be done irrespective of any opposition to it the Deputy CM said while speaking after inaugurating the Cauvery water at your doorstep campaignShivakumar explained that without an increase in water tariffs the BWSSB might face collapse impacting its ability to support its employees and manage basic operational costs including electricity bills We are still determining the exact amount and the segments to which the hike will apply he said It is imperative to supply water to 140 crore people of Bengaluru It is difficult to do so without investing in a larger distribution network Shivakumar addedAddressing rising electricity costs Shivakumar revealed plans to establish a captive power generation facility for Bengalurus utility companies Given the steep rise in electricity prices over the past 14 years this facility will save significant money and involve all departments connected to Bengaluru he saidResponding to proposals for privatizing BWSSB services the Deputy CM rejected and cited past experiences where privatization led to increased costs without delivering substantial benefits Despite many proposals and past experiences including a study I conducted on water utility privatization in France I am resolute in opposing privatization of public utilities he saidAdani and other companies have taken up responsibility for utilities in many cities including Mumbai But I firmly told them that I would not allow the privatisation of public utilities There have been many proposals for privatisation of utilities even during the times of JH Patel and SM Krishna he saidOn water supply issues Shivakumar highlighted an increase in water supply by 6 million litres per day MLD since he took officeWe have released more than 100 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu and we cant hold excess water currently I am confident that we will get justice for Mekedatu balancing reservoir We are also addressing the water crisis through efforts to recharge groundwater and manage driedup borewells he saidThere are proposals to bring drinking water to Bengaluru directly from KRS We are also thinking of bringing water from Sharavathi but there is opposition to it Yettinahole has witnessed many twists and turns due to politicisation but we have completed it to a certain stage he saidAsked if Congress was responsible for the Governor to travel in a bulletproof car he said The police have taken the precaution as miscreants from BJP and JDS may pelt his car with stones We have information that the BJP and JDS are trying to bring a bad name to the government by disturbing law and order Asked about the BJPs protest against Congress for insulting the Governor he said People are free to criticise anyone in democracy We respect the GovernorThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever