Bengaluru caps water tanker rates amid drought, check prices here

Bengaluru water crisis: Private water tankers were accused of fleecing residents amid water scarcity in the city.

Bengaluru water disruption: Bengaluru water supply cut

According to a release by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, several parts of the city will face disruption due to the complete shutdown of Cauvery fourth stage second phase water supply line. (Express file photo)

The Bengaluru district administration on Wednesday capped the prices charged by water tankers from the residents. The move came after private water tankers were accused of fleecing the public amid water scarcity in the city.

Upon the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB)’s request on behalf of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to regulate water rates, Bengaluru Uban Deputy Commissioner K A Dayananda issued the circular. It fixed the rates for 200 private tankers deployed on a contract basis for a four-month period based on a technical advisory committee’s recommendation.

The rates fixed by Bengaluru Urban district administration are as follows:

Rates for distances up to 5 km:

Rs 600 for a 6,000-litre water tanker.

Rs 700 for an 8,000-litre water tanker.

Rs 1,000 for a 12,000-litre water tanker.

Rates for distances between 5 km and 10 km:

Rs 750 for a 6,000-litre water tanker.

Rs 850 for an 8,000-litre water tanker.

Rs 1,200 for a 12,000-litre water tanker.

In the circular, Dayananda said as all the taluks in the Bengaluru Urban district have been declared drought-hit, the private water tankers supplying water will now fall under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bracket and as a result, these rates are applicable along with a GST component.

A senior BBMP official revealed that more than 4,000 water tankers operate in the city.

The state government is all set to take over water tankers in Bengaluru city amid the water crisis, and the deadline to register water tankers with the government ends on Thursday.

According to a BBMP officer, 315 water tankers in Bengaluru have so far registered with the government. The administration has decided to seize tankers that fail to register, with the help of the police.

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Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had said that all water tanker operators must register on the municipal corporation’s portal within a week and carry a valid certification in their vehicles at all times.

Shivakumar had said, “The chief minister, revenue minister, RDPR minister, along with other ministers, discussed the drought issue. We have instructed the officials to use water sources within the 15 km periphery of cities to supply water to urban areas. Similarly, it was decided to fetch water to Bengaluru City from Ramanagara, Hosakote, Channapatna, Magadi and other towns using water tankers,” he said.

“Some tankers are supplying water for Rs 600, while some others charge up to Rs 3,000. To standardise the pricing, we have asked all the water tankers to register with the authorities. Prices will be fixed based on the distance travelled by the tankers,” he had said.

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