DK Shivakumar hints at water tariff hike by 1 paisa/litre in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Despite the outrage against the back-to-back revision of tariff for various services and commodities by the state govt, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar Wednesday reiterated the stand on revising the water tariff in Bengaluru by at least one paisa per litre. However, the DCM claimed that any revision in water tariff of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will not be a burden on consumers.Stating that BWSSB is incurring a loss of over Rs 1,000 crore annually, he claimed the revision is inevitable, and the govt has no choice. "We must increase it by at least a minimum of one paisa per litre. We have instructed them to ensure that the revision does not burden the commoners. The revision is crucial to fund the works on upcoming phases of the Cauvery project. But before all these, we must create awareness on the importance of water among the public," Shivakumar said.Countering the BJP's fight against the price hike, Shivakumar said: "They (BJP) chose to be silent when we reduced the electricity price. If they are worried about the livelihood of the citizens, let them first reduce the costs of petrol, diesel, and animal feed. Despite the recent price hike, the milk and curd prices in Karnataka are much less compared that of other states."Referring to the user fee on garbage as part of the property tax levied by BBMP, Shivakumar said: "We are only following what the central govt has initiated. In fact, the BJP-led govt levied exorbitant cess in 2022, and we are reducing it. I have directed the officials to clarify this reduction by distributing publicity materials."Bengaluru: Despite the outrage against the back-to-back revision of tariff for various services and commodities by the state govt, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar Wednesday reiterated the stand on revising the water tariff in Bengaluru by at least one paisa per litre. However, the DCM claimed that any revision in water tariff of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will not be a burden on consumers.Stating that BWSSB is incurring a loss of over Rs 1,000 crore annually, he claimed the revision is inevitable, and the govt has no choice. "We must increase it by at least a minimum of one paisa per litre. We have instructed them to ensure that the revision does not burden the commoners. The revision is crucial to fund the works on upcoming phases of the Cauvery project. But before all these, we must create awareness on the importance of water among the public," Shivakumar said.Countering the BJP's fight against the price hike, Shivakumar said: "They (BJP) chose to be silent when we reduced the electricity price. If they are worried about the livelihood of the citizens, let them first reduce the costs of petrol, diesel, and animal feed. Despite the recent price hike, the milk and curd prices in Karnataka are much less compared that of other states."Referring to the user fee on garbage as part of the property tax levied by BBMP, Shivakumar said: "We are only following what the central govt has initiated. In fact, the BJP-led govt levied exorbitant cess in 2022, and we are reducing it. I have directed the officials to clarify this reduction by distributing publicity materials."