Bengaluru water crisis: The district administration in Bengaluru has fixed the rates for 200 private tankers amid a water shortage in the city. This fixing of rates has been imposed for a four-month period. This development comes amid private water tanker services charging exorbitant rates as residents of the city are struggling with a water shortage.
Around 200 private tankers have been deployed on a contractual basis to supply water to Bengaluru city. The water tanker rates have been fixed by the district collector of Bengaluru city as follows:
For within 5 km distance, 6,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 600 For within 5 km distance, 8,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 700 For within 5 km distance, 12,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 1,000 For between 5-10 km distance, 6,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 750 For between 5-10 km distance, 8,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 850 For between 5-10 km distance, 12,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 1,200
All the above mentioned rates are inclusive of GST.
Several residents of Bengaluru societies have told India Today TV that private tankers are charging anywhere between Rs 1,800-2,000 for a 12,000 litre tanker. Some have said that what used to be around Rs 600-1,000 for a tanker has been increased to Rs 2,000.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said that out of the 236 taluks, 223 have been drought-hit, including 219 that are severely-hit. He asked principal secretaries and deputy commissioners to ensure that there is no drinking water crisis.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of not taking any action despite warnings by experts. "Congress has failed the citizens of Bengaluru. The city's water crisis has been neglected with unscientific remedial measures being taken at the eleventh hour. If the state government fails to address them, BJP will take the streets and fight for Bengaluru's cause," he tweeted, stating that half of the borewells have dried up and many of the apartments don’t have a single drop of drinking water.