THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bottled drinking water will soon be available in the state at Rs 13 per litre, Rs 7 less than the current price. A notification will be issued soon.
The state has brought drinking water under the Essential Commodities Act and has decided to come down heavily on illegal water suppliers. Only bottling plants which follow the standards laid out by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will be allowed to function. A notification in this regard will be issued in two days, said Food and Civil Supplies Minister P Thilothaman.
“The revised prices will come into effect as soon as the ordinance is issued. Multinational companies pushed us to fix the price at `15, but we decided it to be Rs 13 after talking with local suppliers. If big companies want to supply their product in the state, they will have to abide by the price we’ve fixed,” the minister said. A decision to bring down the rate of bottled water was made in May, 2018, but it had to be shelved following protest by manufacturers.
The state has brought drinking water under the Essential Commodities Act