Water and worries flow in plenty

BANGALORE: Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Employees’ Association has submitted a memorandum requesting the government to hike the water tariff to ensure that the board does not bear the brunt and run into losses.The BWSSB employees are disappointed with the government’s refusal to hike the water tariff though the power tariff was hiked more than five times.In a memorandum that was recently submitted to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Minister, the association has said that the BWSSB incurs an expenditure of Rs 19 to Rs 24 crore to pump and distribute every 1,000 liters of water to the city while collecting a very low tariff from the users.The BWSSB is spending around 65 per cent of its monthly revenue — Rs 35 to Rs 40 crore — on electricity bills and the remaining money is spent on paying salaries to its employees, ongoing projects, repaying the loans and other expenses.Unless the state government permits the BWSSB to hike the water tariff or gives grants to the BWSSB it will go under loss.Among the other things the association has requested the government include, a suggestion to stop deputing the officials from other departments to the BWSSB and re-organise the BWSSB at the earliest to make its administration more efficient.They also do not want the Bangalore Metro Region Governance Bill in place that will entrust the responsibility of distributing the water in the city to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.They also want the state government to take cognisance and initiate action against the representatives who interfere with the activities of the BWSSB and instigating violence against its employees. They are also looking at an extension of medical benefits to the retired employees and settlling all valid pension claims and giving special promotions to the employees in accordance with the provisions sanctioned in 2001.