BENGALURU: Water shortage and high bills have made Indira Canteens opt for using water supplied by private tankers for cooking, and meeting other requirements in the kitchen. Indira Canteens caterers have also written to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), asking for concession in water connection rates. They have also sent a letter to Bengaluru Electric Supply Company (BESCOM) to provide them concession in billing pattern.
The caterers stopped using the Cauvery water supplied by BWSSB four months back after each outlet got a water bill of at least Rs 50,000 every month. They also say that BESCOM charges have been reaching around Rs 30,000 every month, which is more than the amount they get from BBMP for running the canteens.
Govinda Poojari, Managing Director, Cheftalk, one the two caterers for India Canteens, told TNIE, “For the last four months we have been using tanker water for cooking and other purposes at Indira Canteens as we are not able to afford the water bills. For kitchen, we use 8-9 water tankers every day, and get water supplied from three tankers on alternate days. Though the purpose of the canteen is to feed the urban poor, the water bills come in the scale of commercial usage. We have requested BBMP and BWSSB to give us concession since we can’t ensure the quality of water from tankers.”
Baladev Sidhu from Reward, another caterer for Indira Canteen, said, “We have no option but to use water from private tankers as the water bills are too huge. But we are worried since we can’t ensure the quality of water from tankers as it comes from bore wells. It can also affect the quality of food.” Sidhu added that they have written to BESCOM too, as the electricity charges also run up to huge sums. Canteens feed about 300 people at each of the three times of a day.
Speaking to TNIE, BBMP chief N Manjunatha Prasad said, “We have come across the issue and we will soon convey this to BWSSB and BESCOM to provide connection to these canteens as per household tariffs. As the purpose of India Canteens is not the trade, the caterers deserve concession in billing.”