Representation pic
“There are times when operators charge Rs 4,000 and those who can afford to pay more often are prioritised, leaving several societies with no option but to cough up. We spent Rs 2 lakh last month itself on tankers. Roughly 17 tankers utilise the services daily and the number is likely to add up in the coming months, say officials.
The expense adds to our monthly maintenance bills, but water is essential,” said C N Shetty, office-bearer of a Ghodbunder society. Civic officials said they are working on increasing the capacity of points at their tanker water filling spots at Saket and at Manpada in the coming days. The steep rates have triggered demands for a civic policy to regulate tanker supply and curb alleged profiteering amid an impending water crisis. Meanwhile, BJP corporator Bharat Chavan has written to the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner demanding a comprehensive tanker service policy, including a cap on charges and a six-hour delivery deadline from the time of registration. He has also sought tanker supplies equivalent to the sanctioned water allocation of residential societies. Deputy Mayor Krishna Patil and BJP group leader Mukesh Mokashi have backed the proposal. Chavan has also sought priority tanker supply for residential buildings, hospitals, schools and anganwadis, fixed rates for commercial establishments, periodic water quality checks and GPS tracking of tankers.