The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is all set to
fix 10,000 water meters in the first phase. The exercise to fix the
water meters for Household Service Connections (HSCs) will start
shortly. As a step in that direction, the corporation will first revise
the water tariff. The new tariff will come into force from April 1.

The
corporation officials cite the gross mismatch between expenditure and
recoveries on supply of safe drinking water the reason for increasing
the tariff and fixing water meters. The corporation is presently
spending about Rs.20.50 crore on safe drinking water supply to the
public. However, it is recovering only 40 per cent of the expenditure.

The
water charges for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will be Rs.75 as
against existing Rs.50 per month. The tariff for general category will
be based on the property tax paid. The VMC has created three slabs –
Rs.125, Rs.175 and Rs.250 – based on property taxes paid by the
residents. A minimum charge of Rs.300 will be collected from each HSC. A
water meter will be fixed for every HSC that pays more than Rs.1,500
towards the property tax.

The VMC has been providing
the citizens connections at a subsidised rate of Rs.200. It is charging
the Above Poverty Line (APL) households Rs.200 and the BPL households
Rs.50. In 2003 the VMC increased the tariff from Rs.50 to Rs.100 per
HSC. Later, it was brought down to Rs.80 in 2005.

In
the CDP, VMC has stated that a total of Rs.1.30 crore will be spent on
fixing water meters during the seven financial years between 2005 and
2012.

The VMC in 2007 had planned to purchase of 2.6
lakh water meters at an estimated cost of Rs.50 crore. However, it could
not materialise due to stiff resistance from political parties.

The
corporation gave a commitment in the CDP to spend Rs.18 lakh in the
first year, followed by Rs.29 lakh in second year, Rs.39 lakh in third
year, Rs.20 lakh in fourth year, Rs.13 lakh in the fifth year, Rs.6 lakh
each in sixth and seventh years for fixing water meters to all domestic
connections in addition to the expenditure for metering all connections
of bulk consumption.