1.86 lakh water meters to be installed in slums

MUMBAI: After several hiccups, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is gearing up to install around 1.86 lakh water meters in slums. Having burnt its fingers during previous attempts, the BMC this time will take adequate precautions.
Because meters have a history of being stolen in slums, the ones to be installed will be very different from those installed in colonies. Tenders will be invited in a few weeks; the installation process will begin by the year-end.
Confirming the development, additional municipal commissioner Rajeev Jalota told TOI, “A three-member panel has been set up to look into the precautionary measures. There will be policy changes as far as meters are concerned. Changes will be pertaining to measures that will be taken for preventing the meters from being stolen.”
To tackle the menace of theft, the BMC is planning to change the quality of the meters that will be installed in the slums. “We will be looking at meters that are cheap and robust. Unlike the meters installed in colonies, the slum meters will not have any resale value,” said a senior civic official. “Earlier, the meters used to be made of brass and so had high resale value. In all likelihood, the slum meters would be made of a material that will not have good resale value.”
A year ago, the BMC had scrapped the idea to install water meters in slums. Interestingly, the meters to be installed now will be non-automatic, unlike the meters in other areas.