BWSSB repeals blanket penalty on ‘greedy’ consumers

BWSSB repeals blanket penalty on ‘greedy’ consumers

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) seems to have understood that its better to remove the weeds than resort
to one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to dealing with errant consumers.

It may be recalled that taking cognisance of the fact that water pilferage is a source of major revenue drain on BWSSB, a Revenue Enforcement Cell has been set up to stanch the swelling losses.

It is to be noted that a section of those taking down the meter readings of the BWSSB have always been under the eye of storm owing to them being hand-in-glove with the consumer in issuing a bill at much below the actual or recorded level. That means, the consumer would end up paying much lesser amount and the meter reader gets a small bribe in return.

To exacerbate an already grave situation, these meter readers are alleged of having tipped off the consumers of surprise inspections by their higher ups. The consumers would be advised to damage the water meter so that the visiting officers would not know their ploy. An unwitting BWSSB ends up repairing or replacing the damaged meters at its own cost and only collects the cost of the meter in cases where theft was reported.

Some other 'innovative' consumers used to regulate the meter and manipulate its running and thereby they too paid a lesser sum.

Driven to the wall BWSSB ended up imposing a penalty of Rs 5,000 on the consumers if the meter was found to be tampered with or stolen, which came into effect from January 1.

This fuelled a public outrage and questions were raised over BWSSB's rationale in imposing heavy fines on all the consumers whenever the meter was stolen or repaired for the mistakes committed by a few greedy consumers.

The exasperated consumers refused to pay the fines.

BWSSB chairman P B Ramamurthy has now directed the officials to roll back the penalty and rework the scheme. BWSSB Chief Engineer Venkatraju explained the reworked scheme: "We will continue to impose Rs 5,000 fine wherever the meters are found tampered with or damaged. But in cases where the meter is stolen and police complaint to the effect is registered we will bring it down; Rs 860 will be collected as meter cost and Rs 140 as fine."

Arkavathy: Bangalore’s river of dreams

Arkavathy: Bangalore’s river of dreams

The demand for the constitution of a River Arkavathy Rejuvenation Board or Authority to give an official push to the long struggle to revive and conserve this vital water source for Bangalore and its surroundings ran prominently at a roundtable of elected representatives, government agencies and NGOs called in Bangalore on Friday.

The demand for a budgetary allocation of Rs 100 core for the programme was also made on the occasion. The large part of this sum must go for a comprehensive survey of the river’s course, the depletion of catchment area, encroachments and the loss of the feeder lines to the large and small water tanks fed by the river, it was noted.

The meeting attended by Bangalore City in-charge minister R Ashok among others took note of the fact that industrial units and activities like sand mining continue to thrive along the river-bed not withstanding a government notification (of 2003) banning such activities within a 3-km radius of Arkavati’s catchment area.

The legislators faulted Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in particular for its failure to control the industrial units from thriving in the restricted area.

ILLS ON ITS COURSE:

NGO participants led by SVARAJ (Society for Voluntary Action Revitalisation and Justice) called for immediate measures to clear encroachments on rajakaluves that feed the nearly 1,200 large and small water tanks along the river’s course. With much of these tanks now running dry, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has commissioned a comprehensive survey by the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre to identify the available water sources, BWSSB officials said.

The 190-km course of the river runs from Nandi Hills in Doddaballapur to Sangam in Kanakapura and traverses Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Chikballapur and Ramanagaram districts. If it is effluents from textile processing units in Doddaballapur, it is effluents from sericulture-oriented units in Ramanagaram, NGO representatives said and noted that granite mining, sand mining and sand filtering and real estate encroachments are the others that together spell the bane of River Arkavati.

CASE IMPERFECT:

While most legislators from Bangalore area cutting across party affiliations attended the half-day meeting, agencies like the BBMP and KPTCL and the Minor Irrigation Department failed to send any representatives. The case for the constitution of a board or authority would be placed before the chief minister, the legislators said and also agreed to hold monthly meetings on the river rejuvenation programme.

In the meanwhile, NGO representatives mused over their role should the government heed the demand for constitution of a board or authority for rejuvenation of River Arkavathy.

“It is a difficult question. Perhaps the Board can take care of the technical aspects and we (NGOs) can continue with our work among the river-bed communities,” said a member of Svaraj.

BWSSB gears up to quench summer thirst in Sanjay nagar

BWSSB gears up to quench summer thirst in Sanjay nagar

Residents of Sanjaynagar need not worry about water supply this summer, according to BWSSB minister Katta Subramanya Naidu. Speaking at a Janaspandana programme at Sanjaynagar on Friday, Naidu promised that all arrangements were being made to prevent any water shortage during summer. “I have directed the BWSSB authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure that the city does not suffer from water shortage.

We are drawing a feeder main pipeline from Malleshwaram to Sanjaynagar at a cost of Rs seven crore. Also, we have already dug 400 borewells and will dig another 900 by March 31,” he said.

The Minister inaugurated development works worth Rs 37 crore in Sanjaynagar.

‘Set things right at Victoria

‘Set things right at Victoria

After the shocking revelation before the Lok Adalat that both Victoria and Bowring Hospitals were paying Rrs.75 lakh as their monthly water bills to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB), the urban development department has directed BWSSB to “straighten” the things immediately.

In a letter dated January 27, the principal secretary to the department Jyothiramalingam, directed BWSSB chairman P B Ramamurthy to replace the rusted water pipes and the internal lines in both the hospitals, to prevent water pilferage, within a fortnight.

the principal secretary has suggested to Ramamurthy that the engineers of BWSSB and the medical superintendents of both hospitals should visit the hospitals and take necessary steps to check the pilferage and prevent unauthorised drawing of water from the water pipes of the hospitals.

“BWSSB and the hospital authorities must conduct a joint survey and remove the old rusted water pipes. By doing this, BWSSB can ensure that water is used only for the purposes of the hospital,” the principal secretary stated.

The superintendent of Victoria Hospital had submitted before the Lok Adalat that water is being drawn illegally by the residents and also the commercial establishments in the vicinity of the hospital. hospital authorities had pleaded before the Lok Adalat that BWSSB should be asked to replace the water pipes.

But sources in BWSSB said that it was not an easy task to change the water pipelines within a short time, because it required laying separate water delivery pipes in the Victoria Hospital premises.

On January 20, the High Court Lok Adalat had directed BWSSB to charge domestic rates for water to the government hospitals. The matter will again come up for hearing on February 19, 2009.

Rain harvesting must for Bangalore buildings-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Rain harvesting must for Bangalore buildings-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

Finally, the government seems to have understood how grave the water problem would be in the coming
days.

Five years after the rule was legislated, the state cabinet on Tuesday made it mandatory for all new constructions covering 1,200 sqft (30 by 40 ft site) and beyond to install rainwater harvesting systems in Bangalore.

However, old buildings are not forgotten. They will be given some time to go in for installations.

"The new regulation will be applicable with immediate effect for all new constructions but old buildings will be given some time,'' rural development and panchayat raj minister Shobha Karandlaje told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

Shobha said the groundwater table in Bangalore has dipped to dangerously low levels and taking cognizance of it, the government will soon frame guidelines for the installation of rainwater systems. This, after bringing amendments to 72 (A) clause of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Act, 1964.

Apart from residential houses, all government buildings, institutions, local bodies, cooperative bodies and government-aided bodies will be directed to compulsorily make provisions for collection and conservation of rainwater in their premises.

Asked whether incentives will be offered to those who comply with the new regulation, the minister said a decision on this will be taken soon.

The government had issued a GO in 2004 making rainwater harvesting systems mandatory in new constructions, but the rule was hardly followed. However, last year, the BWSSB took some initiatives and issued orders that no new constructions would be issued water and sanitary connections without rainwater harvesting systems.

The owner will have to give an undertaking to the BWSSB stating that the "rainwater harvesting system has been completed in all respects and the system will be maintained properly.'' The undertaking will be endorsed by the junior engineer/assistant engineer after inspecting the spot to verify whether the rainwater harvesting systems has been installed as per the drawings submitted.

To popularize the concept, even the BBMP had earlier announced some concession in property tax for those rainwater harvesting compliance. But it didn't work.

Consumer friendly modules

* Roof-top rain water harvesting

* Open area water collection

* Pits and percolation tanks

Cost

* Rs 3,000 to Rs 30,000 depending on building size

25,000 slum-dwellers to get ownership rights

25,000 slum-dwellers to get ownership rights

Mangalorean.Com- Serving Mangaloreans Around The World!

Keeping an eye on the ensuing Parliamentary elections, Karnataka BJP Government has decided to distribute ownership rights to 25,000 poor slum-dwellers of the Bangalore City in the next 30 days.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Minister for Transport R. Ashok said the there will not be any fresh survey to identify the beneficiaries as the process had been done several times in the past by the previous government.

Mr Ashok, who is in-charge minister for Bangalore, said ownership rights or registration of the dwelling plots will be done in one month.

Earlier, Mr Ashok held a review meeting with officials of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority, Karnataka Slum Improvement Board, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Bangalore Energy Supply Company and the urban development department. Minister for information and excise minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, was also present.

They said 25,000 out of the estimated 1 lakh slum-dwellers in the city would be given ownership rights.

The Bangalore Development Authority had proposed to impose a levy of Rs 1000 per sq. yard for the dwelling plots, Mr Ashok said the government has decided to charge uniform rate Rs 100 for every beneficiary as the registration fee.

He criticized former minister H D Deve Gowda, who had held a Daridra Narayana rally in the city during the Dharam Singh-led Congress-JD(S) coalition rule and said the BJP will hold a Nemmadi Narayana (happy poor) rally when Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa distributing ownership rights.

Stating that BBMP had 15,000 pending applicants, BDA had 6,000, Slum Board and urban development department had 2,000 each applications from the poor dwelling in the government properties since the last two to three decades, which had been classified as slums, the minister said the beneficiaries who had already been identified and granted identity cards will be eligible for the ownership right.

Spare us the s***, at least in water

Spare us the s***, at least in water

You might want to sit down while reading this. And don’t reach out for that glass of water yet. The bad news is, Bangalore, the glorious IT city, galloping towards pinnacles of development, provides some of its citizens drinking water contaminated with faecal matter.

Express learnt of this gross fact when it got samples of water supplied by the BWSSB tested at the Public Health Institute Laboratory, Bangalore. Even ‘respectable’ areas like The National Games Village in Koramangala with 2,534 housing units, home to approximately 12,500 people are not spared of this. The mostly middle-class residents of this area have no choice but to consume water contaminated with faecal discharge.

Shocking study Samples were collected from different parts of the city as per laboratory requirements in sterilised bottles and sent to the laboratory within four hours of collection.

According to Bacteriological analysis report of the laboratory, the water sample collected from NGV could very well be contaminated with faecal discharge.

The approximate number of bacteria per 100 ml of water collected from NGV was found to be 1,800. Differential Coliform, a sort of bacteria, also found in the faeces of humans and other warm-blooded animals, was also found in the NGV water.

A cross-connection? PHI officials were of the opinion that there could be a leakage or a cross-connection in the pipelines, leading to the percolation of sewage into the drinking water pipelines.

Presence of bacteria was also detected in the water sample collected from Jeevan Bimanagar, but there was no faecal contamination in it.

With effective chlorination, the water at Jeevan Bimanagar can be used for drinking purposes. But the NGV water is not potable before the issue of faecal contamination is addressed, lab officials said.

Govt hospitals spend king’s ransom on water

Govt hospitals spend king’s ransom on water

Victoria Hospital with a bed-strength of 550 is spending a mind-boggling amount Rs 38 lakh every month towards its water bill. Similarly the Bowring Hospital with a bed strength of 800 is paying Rs 31 lakh towards water charges every month to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

Compare these figures with the amounts spent on medicine by these hospitals — while the Victoria Hospital spends Rs 35 lakh per month, the monthly medicine bill for Bowring Hospital is about Rs 30 lakh.

On the contrary, it is learnt that Apollo Hospital, which has a bed strength of 250, is paying Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per month.

These shocking statistics came to light on Tuesday during the hearing of a petition on setting up of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) on government and private hospital premises by the Lok Adalat.

Lok Adalat Chairman K L Manjunath was astonished on learning from the superintendents of the two government hospitals about the whopping amounts they spend on water. He questioned an officer of the BWSSB, “How can such big amounts be collected from the hospitals as water bill? How much water is consumed by patients in the hospitals?” The BWSSB officer had no satisfactory answers.

An officer of Victoria hospital replied that the BWSSB charged them a commercial slab as their bed strength is 550. “On an average a patient consumes around 250 litres of water per day. The bill also includes the water consumed by the staff in the quarters,” the officer said.

Disapproving the statistics given by the officer, the Chairman directed the BWSSB to lay new water pipes to both hospitals and install separate meters for the hospitals and staff quarters. The Chairman also directed the BWSSB to keep a vigil on whether the residents of nearby areas are illegally drawing water from these hospitals. Interestingly, officers of Victoria hospital said that the hospital was spending Rs 30 lakh on medicine expenses per month for its patients.

“If the water bill is reduced, we can divert the money to poor patients,” they added.

Justice Manjunath also suggested that the BWSSB can reduce its water bills to government hospitals.

The Chairman directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to close down private hospitals in the city which have failed to set up biomedical waste treatment plants on their premises.

The Chairman pulled up an officer of KSPCB for not taking action against the private hospitals which have not set up ETPs on their premises.

The officer submitted that the Chinmaya Hospital, Krishnadevaraya Hospital in Hunasemaranahalli, B R Ambedkar Hospital, Bhagavan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Church of South India Hospital, KIMS Hospital and HAL Hospital have not set up the ETPs.

“Nine private hospitals in the city have not set up the treatment plants.

four months time has been granted to them to set up the same,” said the officer.

The government hospitals took an undertaking before the Lok Adalat that they would set up the ETPs by the end of May, 2009.

Pollution board sleeps, effluents seep in

Pollution board sleeps, effluents seep in

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s (KSPCB) apathy has aided many industries in Bangalore Urban and Rural districts in flouting the laws that were enacted to prevent pollution.

KSPCB has analysed only 160 legal effluent samples and 12 legal air samples in 2006-07, 135 legal effluent samples and two legal air samples in 2007-08, which does not amount to even 1 per cent of industries in the city. The samples that are collected after ascertaining that a company is violating the standards set by the KSPCB are called legal samples.

Nearly 75 per cent of the collected legal samples failed to meet the standards set by the KSPCB. Yet no serious action has been taken against the erring industries.

There are 64,107 registered small-scale industries and 375 large-scale industries in Bangalore Urban district and 16,700 registered small-scale and 74 large-scale industries in Bangalore Rural district.

There are many more small industries that are operating without any authorisation and some large industries are still in the process of getting registered. Out of these many industries, KSPCB’s environmental officers have collected only 309 legal samples in both years put together.

Many of these industries do not even dispose their effluents according to KSPCB guidelines. Therefore, the groundwater in and around the industrial areas is polluted and heavy metals like chromium and lead are found in the water samples.

KSPCB member secretary M S Goudar said: “Industrial effluents are checked according to the discretion of the KSPCB. Apart from the legal samples, we have collected more than 2,000 other samples. Some of those samples do not meet the standards set by the KSPCB. A 45-day notice is served on the company that is found violating the standards. Normally the companies rectify their mistakes within 45 days. If a company does not comply with norms within 15 days, power and water supply is stopped.” It is impossible to regulate the pollution caused by these industries unless the KSPCB keeps checking the effluents discharged and initiates serious action against those that do not meet the set standards.

The Pollution Control Board had taken action against 17 government hospitals for not disposing its solid medical waste in accordance with the norms set by the board.

Rs 5-cr for lake facelift

Rs 5-cr for lake facelift

Minister for Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board Katta Subramanya Naidu has ordered a survey to assess the extent of encroachment on the 44-acre Kempambudi Lake in the City. The Bangalore Urban District Deputy Commissioner has been asked to submit the report within 15 days.

The survey is a prelude to the government’s plans for the rejuvenation of the tank. An estimated Rs 5 crore shall be spent on the same, it was noted.The Minister, who inspected the tank and its limits on Tuesday morning, took note of residents’ complaints that almost 7 acres of the tank was encroached upon.

Naidu also ordered for immediate action to check the flow of sewage into the lake. Civic agencies involved in the lake’s maintenance were told to complete the work before the onset of monsoon.

If need be, another Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) shall be set up near the lake, he said.

The residents complained of water contamination and noted that desilting work had been pending since many months. They held the officials responsible for water contamination, saying that they had failed to provide a separate line for the sewage flow.

The Minister was accompanied by local MLA Hemachandra Sagar, and other civic officials.

HCC to invest Rs41,500 crore in Gujarat luxury township

This is called new urbanism?..luxury township..exclusive by uprooting people...

domain-b.com : HCC to invest Rs41,500 crore in Gujarat luxury township

Ajit Gulbchand's Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) has signed two agreements with the Gujarat government to develop a waterfront city at Dholera and a water pipeline projects at a total investment of Rs 41,500 crore.

The waterfront city project will be spread over 4000 acres at the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) on the lines of Lavasa, India's first and largest man made Hill City being built by HCC near Pune, at a cost of Rs.40,000 crore.

Dholera, on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), is located at the Gulf of Cambay about 129km from Ahmedabad.

The water pipeline projects are with Narmada water resources, water supply and Kalpasar department to develop three water pipeline worth Rs1,500 crore.

The three water pipelines project envisages inter basin transfer of water from N M C to various reservoirs such as the reservoirs based inter basin transfer of water, to Dharoi reservoir in Mehsana district, Sipu and Dantiwada reservoir in Banaskantha district.

''The concept of new urbanism is gaining momentum globally and we are happy to initiate this modern and sustainable WaterFront City in Gujarat, based on this model," said Ajit Gulabchand, chairman and managing director, HCC. "We are confident of replicating our successful Lavasa business model which has already established a large network of business partners. The innovative nature of this project is matched only by the Gujarat government's keen interest to develop world-class infrastructure in the state."

HCC says it will will fund the first phase of the project through private equity and debt, a part from it's own investment while the balance through the self cash generating route.

The actual construction work will start after various regulatory approvals like detailed project report, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study and after development of the master plan of the region.

The initial phase is expected to be ready in the next three years and the entire project is due to be completed in 8-10 years time. The new Water Front City at Dholera is expected to employment around 50,000 workers.

HCC's 15,000-acre Lavasa township has a 20sq-km man-made lake, and is India's first man-made hill station.

The township itself has been master-planned by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum to develop into a world-class, integrated urban and economic centre providing an aspirational lifestyle and facilities where the people can live, work, learn and play, in harmony with the highest environmental ideals.

The company has already established tie-ups with international as well as domestic institutions such as ITC Hotels (Fortune Select) and Accor (Pullman, Novotel and Grand Mercure) in the field of hospitality, Oxford University (Said Business School), Girls' Day School Trust (UK), Ecole hotelier de Lausanne (Switzerland), Symbiosis (Pune) and Christ University (Bangalore) in the field of education and Apollo Hospitals in health and wellness.

Through its subsidiary HCC Real Estate, the company owns 60 per cent of the Lavasa township venture, which has already won some of the world's most prestigious planning awards from The Congress of New Urbanism, in the US and The American Society of Landscape Architects - the only development in India to have qualified for this recogntion.

As you sow, so you reap? Deccan Herald

Deccan Herald - As you sow, so you reap?

Tomorrow is Sankranthi, the festival of harvest. And most parts of Karnataka will celebrate. It’s also that transitory period, ‘Sankramana’ when the sun enters the sign of Makara, or Capricorn. Though urban Karnataka is far removed from its agrarian roots, the traditional distribution of ellu and bella (in little ziplock covers!) in urban neighbourhoods continues as a symbol of our essentially agrarian past.

Look carefully at the ingredients distributed. All traditional crops available locally: sugarcane, banana, coconut, gram, groundnut, til. In that sense, Sankranthi is really a festival of the local farmer. And fittingly, it is the farmer who should be at the centre of any discourse on festivities like Sankranthi. It is a festival of the farmer, and for the farmer.

In the Mysore region, like the village of Siddalingapura, the harvest is generally a time of heightened expectations. There’s the ritual of Kitchchu hayisuvudu (Cattle with their horns painted and decorated with turmeric cross over a burning heap of haystack). Farmers along with their cattle assemble on Mysore-Bangalore road near Siddalingapura to perform the ritual, even as curious onlookers gather.

Nagendra, a farmer tells Spectrum that the young and old alike gear up for the ritual in villages like Siddalingapura and Hosahalli in Mandya district. Earlier, Kurubara Halli near PKTB Sanatorium on KRS road in Mysore also drew huge crowds, but not on a such a scale anymore.

But, if Sankranthi is about the harvest, what then is the harvest like this year? “Where are the crops for us to celebrate the festival of harvest?” a Mysore farmer asks. Thanks to the rapid urbanisation, the fields have all gone and farmers have taken to other professions.

The best of times; the worst of times

When we asked Bandeppa (48) of Panegaon in Gulbarga taluk about what Sankranthi holds for him, he says it is hardly something to look forward to. Having burnt his fingers badly, Bandeppa is cautious. The awfully merciless south-west monsoon dealt him a heavy blow. Though a proud owner of ten acres of dry land, he has incurred insurmountable losses this time. All he has got as part of the harvest are four bags of tur (red gram), the predominant cash crop of the district. With untimely rains and a severe pest attack, his investment has gone in vain. “Never in recent memory have I had such a hard time,” Bandeppa rues.

But, the good news is that there are farmers who have reaped a bountiful harvest, thanks to regualr water supply to their fields. They have also been able to contain the pest menace. Take Shivasharanappa, for instance.
This Kotnur farmer is ecstatic with the 20 kgs of tur that he has been able to harvest from his five acres of wetland. It is quite a handsome gain, for tur is fetching a good price in the market today.

So, his 20 bags would amount to 25 quintals and at the rate of Rs 30.50 per quintal, he has netted more than Rs 75,000. Not too bad, in these troubled times.

But not all farmers are as lucky as Shivasharanappa. Small holders with less than five acres of dry land are the worst hit and their borrowing from private money lenders has only added to their misery. With most of the farmers depending heavily on tur which is a long 180-day gestation crop, they cannot even think of an alternate crop.

What’s with the areca...

Elsewhere, in Shimoga district, the harvest has been a mixed bag for farmers. After braving the vagaries of nature such as the moody monsoon, pest and fungal infections, the farmers here are all set to celebrate Sankranthi.

The major crops in the district have traditionally been paddy, maize, areca and sugarcane. Though the harvest has been along expected lines, areca growers in the district are in dire straits. The produce has come down by 30 per cent due to fungal infection locally known as kole roga. Prices of crops like paddy, maize and sugarcane have remained normal this year while that of areca, the main commercial crop has registered a steep fall.

Areca, the main commercial crop of the region seems to have lost its sheen. Cheap imports and extension of cultivation in non-traditional areas have resulted in a price slump. Another reason that is being cited for the drop in prices is that the government is charging Rs 12.5 lakh per month as tax for each guthkha producing machine.

Recession is global too

For proof that the global economic recession has widespread implications, pay close attention to the areca market in Shimoga. Areca merchants who had invested heavily in the stock market are not in a position to purchase produce from farmers at a competitive price. The price of saraku variety of areca which was around Rs 18,000 last year has crashed to Rs 12,000 and rashi idi variety from Rs 14,000 to Rs 8,500. Areca growers are hoping that the market will recover even as they celebrate the harvest festival.

So, tomorrow, when you savour your ellu-bella, think of the farmer in Kotnur, Panegaon, orSiddalingapura. For, it is all about him, indeed.

(Inputs from Srinivas Sirnoorkar, Srikantaswamy B and Veerendra PM)

Karnataka seeks Rs 25,800 cr as grants

473660 : National : Karnataka seeks Rs 25,800 cr as grants

Bangalore , Jan 9 Karnataka Government today urged the 13th Finance Commission to release Rs 25,800 crore grants and more devolution of funds through the Commission rather than the planning commission route.
During an interaction with the Commission headed by Vijay Kelkar, the Government pointed out that the state faced a number of"special problems"including regional imbalance in North Karnataka and had to address the infrastrucutre needs of the ever growing Bangalore City.

The city is home to 743 multi national IT companies and 131 BT firms accounting for 57,000 crore software exports annually, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, also the state&aposs Finance Minister told the Commission here.

There is a need to augment the drinking water supply in the city by 476 million litres daily by 2011-12. At present as against the requirement of Rs 1219 MLD only 870 MLD was being supplies and the city faced a shortfall of 349 MLD, he noted.

To address the city&aposs infrastuructre probelms there is a requirement of Rs 8,500 crore grants, Yeddyurappa said.

"We suggest that 40 per cent of the Central taxes should be devolved to the states. The overall limit on the transfer of central resources should also be raised to 50 per cent", Yeddyurapps demanded.

Dharwad water project

IVRCL bags projects worth Rs 260.46cr
      (snip)

The water division has bagged an order from Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, Dharwad, for construction of head works near Almatti dam, laying and joining pipes from the head works up to water treatment plant at Hungund and construction of two pump houses. It will design, construct, supply, install, test and commission a 25.25 mld water treatment plant in Hungund. The project, estimated to cost Rs 53.86 crore, would be completed in 20 months, according to a release.

Water safety problems in Karnataka unlikely to be addressed by 2009-end The Hindu : Front Page

The Hindu : Front Page : Water safety problems in Karnataka unlikely to be addressed by 2009-end

Water safety problems in Karnataka unlikely to be addressed by 2009-end

Nagesh Prabhu

BANGALORE: Addressing water safety problems in all the quality-affected habitations in the State by the end of 2009 is likely to remain a dream under the Centre’s flagship Bharat Nirman Programme.

There are 21,008 water quality affected habitations in the State. So far, only 2,106 habitations have been provided safe drinking water under the rural water supply schemes of the Union and State governments.

Funds have been sanctioned to provide quality water in 6,029 habitations and the progress of work is at different stages. Providing safe drinking water in all the quality-affected habitations in the country by the end of 2009 is one of the major objectives of the Bharat Nirman Programme.

The State Government had earmarked Rs. 654.79 crore to implement 22,973 rural water supply works in all the 29 districts in the current financial year (2008-09). The funds will be utilised to provide safe drinking water in 2,035 habitations in the current year, according to officials in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. The provision of clean drinking water, sanitation, and a clean environment are vital in order to improve the health of the people and to reduce the incidence of diseases and deaths.

As many as 9,39,221 cases of diarrhoea, 14,980 cases of viral hepatitis and 96,147 cases of typhoid were reported in the State in 2006, due to drinking contaminated water.

Water-borne diseases claimed 1,308 lives (diarrhoea-1,279, viral hepatitis-24, typhoid-5) in 2006, according to the Planning Commission document.

As many as 14,779 habitations are yet to be covered in the State.

The State was finding it difficult to establish alternative sources of water supply to the quality-affected habitations, as the source was either very far away or was not available. Many habitations have been affected due to fluoride content in drinking water.

The district-wise approval of funds for taking up works under the rural water supply scheme in 2008-09 is as follows: Bangalore Urban Rs. 40.93 crore; Ramanagara Rs. 55.49 crore; Bangalore Rural 38.92 crore; Kolar Rs. 21.74 crore; Tumkur Rs. 7.76 crore; Chitradurga 37.28 crore; Davangere Rs. 20.72 crore; Shimoga Rs. 18.14 crore; Mysore Rs. 90.56 crore; Mandya Rs. 43.10 crore; Chamarajanagar Rs. 24.16 crore; Hassan 16.02 crore; Dakshina Kannada Rs. 37.33 crore; Udupi Rs. 39.13 crore; Kodagu Rs. 3.08 crore; Belgaum Rs. 13.52 crore; Dharwad Rs. 16.75 crore; Haveri Rs. 7.97 crore; Gadag Rs. 18.53 crore; Uttara Kannada Rs. 12.93 crore; Bagalkot Rs. 26.11 crore; Gulbarga Rs. 14.41 crore; Bidar Rs. 90 crore; Raichur Rs. 16.02 crore; Koppal Rs. 25.11 crore; Chickballapur Rs. 12.52 crore; Chikmagalur Rs. 11.60 crore; Bijapur Rs. 14.91 crore; and Bellary Rs. 14.91 crore.