The Hindu
- Outsourcing of water bills under study
- Flooding of low-lying areas highlighted
Udupi, Jun 21: The issue of water tariff dominated the general body meeting of the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) here on Friday.
Raising the issue, councillor Jayananda said many local bodies, including the Mangalore City Corporation, had reduced water rates. The Udupi CMC should also follow suit, he added. CMC Commissioner R.N. Shanbhag said the reduction in water rates depended on the income and expenditure of the concerned bodies.
Intervening, president of the CMC Dinakar Shetty said water rates would be reduced in the next 20 days. Water connections would also be provided at reduced rates till August 31, he said and added that the people should take advantage of the offer. In response to a question, Mr. Shanbhag said the water connection deposit would be reduced from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 1,000 for those having houses limited to 300 sq.ft. with tile or tin roofing.
Water bills
When councillor Mahesh Thakur said water bills were not being given to consumers properly, Mr. Shanbhag said the CMC had adopted a new system to prepare them. The anomalies in the present system would be corrected in the next six months, he said and added that the CMC was also thinking of outsourcing the preparation of water bills.
When councillor Kiran Kumar said the self-help groups were not collecting garbage regularly, Mr. Shanbhag said the CMC too had received complaints on the issue. The CMC would prepare a report on outsourcing collection of garbage which would be submitted within a month, he added. Councillor Pandurang Malpe urged the CMC to take steps to control malaria. Mr. Shanbhag said two ten-member teams had been formed to create awareness about malaria and chikungunya in the city.
Approach roads
Councillor Mohan Upadhyaya said that although the newly constructed and widened Udupi-Manipal Road (Malpe-Malkalmuru State Highway) had been thrown open to traffic, steps had not been taken to give proper connections to streets and approach roads joining the highway. Besides, the Udupi-Manipal Road had been constructed at an elevated height, resulting in the surrounding areas being flooded with rain water and sewerage, he said.
Mr. Shetty said the approach roads would be constructed shortly. Silt would be removed from roadside drains to prevent flooding, he added.