Many areas in Secunderabad Cantonment are reeling under a severe water scarcity. The cantonment civilian population requires over 75 lakh gallons of water every day against the present supply of less than 40 lakh gallons. Citizens and elected ward members said a major water supply pipeline laid between Mahindra Hills and Karkhana for the supply of additional 10 lakh gallons water per day had been awaiting the release of water for two years.
The Water Board says it will release water through new pipeline network only after the SCB pays Rs 18.17 crore in connection charges. “Citizens are being made to suffer to get a pot of drinking water due to the apathy of the officials. It is the responsibility of SCB chief executive officer to pay the connection charges and get additional water to Cantonment,” Ms J. Anuradha, a ward member, argued.
The SCB chief executive officer is taking a lot of time even to take a decision or give sanction for the repair of leaking pipelines. Mr J. Ramakrishna, a leader in Ward No. 5, explained: “It is taking days together to get even a water valve replaced. Only some ward members who are in good books of the chief executive officer are getting immediate sanctions for repairs of defunct borewells.”
SCB chief executive officer S. Balakrishna said crores of rupees were paid by the Cantonment Board to the Water Board for laying the water pipeline network, but that the Water Board did not show the accounts of how much money had been spent on pipelines. “Besides, SCB supplies water to its citizens at Rs 6 per KL against Rs 14.50 per KL to Cantonment. How can the SCB be treated as any other commercial consumer when it is purely a service organisation like the Water Board?,” Mr Balakrishna asked. Water Board officials said that the Water Board had to pay Rs 25 crore per month electricity bill to pump the Krishna water, and that the income tax department had slapped a notice on the Water Board to cough up Rs 29 crore towards profit (revenue) in 2004-05.
“Water Board has gone to the court against income tax department notice and the case is slated for hearing on April 10, 2012,” said a senior official, and added that the payment by by SCB for earlier two connections was still pending