Hyderabad: Residents of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board can hope to get the much-needed additional water supply from the Mahindra Hills-Karkhana pipeline ahead of summer.
The Water Board has agreed to release water through this line if the Cantonment authorities pay the connection charges.
Fortunately, the citizens will be spared from the ordeal of having to deal with dug up roads, as the Mahindra Hills-Karkhana pipeline was laid five years ago, but had remained dry so far.
The SCB is seeking 52 lakh gallons of water per day against the present 42 lakh gallons.
The Water Board supplies water in bulk to SCB, which in turn supplies to its residents.
The Water Board did not release water through the new line till date because the SCB had not paid the connection charges.
As a result, the Cantonment Board was pumping water from Balamrai to Mahindra Hills and spending Rs 2.4 crore a year on electricity bills at the Balamrai pumping station alone.
When contacted, SCB chief executive officer Sujatha Gupta told DC that the SCB had finally struck a deal with the Water Board to pay the connection charges along with arrears in installments and the Water Board had agreed to the terms and would also freeze interest on arrears.
In all, SCB will pay Rs 45 crore. It is seeking 52 lakh gallons of water supply daily against the present 42 lakh gallons.
The total dues of SCB to be paid to the Water Board, including connection charges, is over Rs 60 crore.
