GHMC poll: Candidates get water tankers to woo voters

HYDERABAD: The demand for water tankers from both water board and private suppliers have seen a sudden jump over the last 10 days, courtesy GHMC poll candidates supplying tankers to woo parched voters!
While water board indicates a 20 per cent increase in demand, according to private suppliers the bookings have gone up by 30 to 40 per cent in areas like Uppal, Boduppal, Kondapur, Kukatpally, Hafeezpet, Rajendranagar, Chandanagar and few pockets of Old City too.Even candidates admit to ordering these tankers as wherever they encounter water woes.
On an average around 9,500 to 10,000 tanker bookings are recorded by the water board each week, but as the campaigning gathered steam, over 10,500 bookings were done, as per the official data from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB).
Phones have not stopped ringing in the last 10 days with rumours of cost of tankers from private suppliers likely to increase over the next two months especially around the western corridor of the city.
“All this demand is due to the candidates ordering for tankers for supply in their areas. Once the polls are over, people are going to have a tough time with the price of tankers. The current price of Rs 750 for 5,000 litres water tanker has been kept subdued by political pressure due to polls. Once the results are out, the cost is going to escalate steeply. The Rs 750 tankers will easily go up to Rs 1,000,” said Shilpa Reddy, proprietor of Shilpa Water Suppliers.
Even candidates admit to ordering these tankers wherever they encountered water woes while campaigning. “Wherever we went for campaigning, water shortage was a major issue and people want to see us do something for them. We have ordered tankers for slum dwellers around this area,” said a woman candidate contesting from Hafeezpet.
This poll gimmick turns out is an instant hit among residents of areas having rationed water supply as well as with the slum-dwellers which constitute at least 50 per cent of the electorate in the western parts of the city. “Most candidates are supplying water tankers as water is the biggest problem and there is an instant impact on people,” admits another candidate, Hameed Shaik, from Kondapur.