BENGALURU: Unauthorised tankers engaged in supplying water to the residents of Bengaluru city have started to charge residents exorbitantly from Rs 600 earlier for a tank now costs about Rs 3,000 a tanker, alleged Aam Aadmi Party State Organising Secretary Mohan Dasari.
Dasari at a press conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday alleged that influential persons such as ex-corporators, kith and kin of legislators and followers of legislators are engaged in unauthorized tanker service to supply water to the residents of Bengaluru city and questioned the silence of Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru city incharge Minister D.K. Shivakumar is not acting against unauthorized tanker business despite being well aware of the thriving business in Bengaluru city.
As per the information obtained through Right to Information Act (RTI), Dasari said as an alternative to River Cauvery water to Bengaluru city, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has dug up only 108 bore-wells to supply water to Bengaluru city residents which is inadequate to quench the thirst of the residents of Bengaluru.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has dug-up about 1,534 bore-wells in Bengaluru, said Dasari and both BWWSB and BBMP have failed to supply water to all the residents of the city resulting in unauthorized tanker business to flourish.
Wanting steps to curb unauthorised tanker service, he suggested to the Minister that unauthorised tankers should be imposed taxes and asked the officials concerned to initiate steps to supply water to the residents at affordable rates.
He suggested to D.K. Shivakumar to develop a mobile app to take note of water shortage in various parts of the city and also to start a helpline to serve the people of Bengaluru city in a better way.
Bengaluru City AAP President Dr Satish said the information provided by BBMP officials that about 150 places in Bengaluru city faced water shortage while about 50 locations in each Assembly segment faced water shortage.
He asked BWSSB and Chief Secretary of Urban Development to release adequate funds to dig-up bore-wells to supply water to the residents of Bengaluru City while allocation of Rs 131 crore for water scarcity in identified 110 villages falling under BBMP was “inadequate.”
