Nellore Municipal Corporation mulls revenue from water

The body owes over Rs 20 crore to electricity department alone and the outstanding to statutory provisions such as provident fund and retirement benefits runs into several crore.

The civic body administration started paying attention on revenue generating activities after municipal administration and urban development minister P. Narayana advised them to come out with proposals.

One of the suggestions the minister gave was to offer water to industrial sector and Krishnapatnam Port on commercial tariff.

He told them that Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation is one of the very few civic bodies with surplus revenue and its earnings are to the extent of Rs 12 crore per month from supply of water to industries and the port.

Taking cue from the minister, officials have been preparing estimates to increase the storage capacity.

The existing summer storage tank can store 8000 million litres and 9 million litres of water per day (MLD) is being drawn from the tank to quench the thirst of the people living in southern parts of Nellore city.

Sources in Krishnapatnam port say that government had promised to provide 1 MLD five years ago and a water pipeline has been laid recently from Muthukur tank to port.

According to information, the tank has to cater to the irrigation needs of 150 acre apart from 1 MLD to the port. Incidentally, the tank is mostly dry because of repairs to feeder canal. In this backdrop officials of the port welcomed the proposal of NMC. They said that scores of industries in and around Krishnapatnam are also in need of drinking water and they will grab the offer of NMC.