KOLAR: Kolar District Administration has invoked ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) on Tuesday night against operators of water tankers after they launched an indefinite strike on Monday.
Kolar City Municipality had hired about 100 tankers to distribute water to various wards of Kolar City due to the region’s acute water shortage. Around 500 trips were made every day, with the district administration paying Rs 350 to Rs 400 per trip.
Meanwhile, it was alleged that some tankers made false claims regarding the number of trips they made. When this came to the district administration’s notice, it verified the number of trips and deducted the extra money claimed by tankers.
Angry operators entered an indefinite strike on Monday and stopped operating the tankers. They demanded Rs 500 per trip. As the protest inconvenienced the public, the district administration imposed ESMA on water tankers.
Speaking to the New Indian Express, Deputy Commissioner of Kolar, K V Thrilok Chandra said that the tanker operators failed to co-operate with the municipality in distributing water to the wards, despite being well aware of the summer water crisis.
Notices have already been served to the water tankers, he said.
If the tankers attempt to violate ESMA without operating the water tankers, district administration will direct the police to register a criminal case against the tankers, seize them and operate them on its own.