KOCHI: The Consortium of Flat and Villa Owners Association (CFVOA) has come out against the Ernakulam district collector’s “unjustified” move to allegedly increase delivery rates of water tankers.
“Drinking water from the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is not available in many locations in the district, and the residents there depend on the water supplied via tankers. The unilateral hike in the delivery rates without any consultation is grounds for protest. The Ernakulam District Drinking Water Transporters’ Welfare Association (EDDWTWA) had earlier frozen the decision to increase the price by 45% to 55% over the existing rate,” the consortium said.
The members said following protests, the collector and the deputy collector (disaster management) had held discussions with the parties concerned on several occasions. “However, the price hike will now help tanker owners and cause distress to the residents of flat and villa complexes. When the EDDWTWA created a similar crisis in 2019-20, the then district administration had effectively resolved the problem,” said a member. The office-bearers of the consortium warned of strong protest if the current “unjust” rate hike is not immediately withdrawn and a practical decision not taken.
However, EDDWTWA secretary Ramachandran said there was no unjust hike in the rates. “In reality, the step taken by the district collector led to streamlining of the rates. Earlier, tanker owners charged erratic rates and the same varied from place to place. Now, tankers will have to charge a uniform rate. The rates have not been hiked,” he said.
“The rates we demanded were not agreed upon. Instead, the RTO was directed to fix the charge. It should be considered that the rates have been fixed only for domestic consumers, not for commercial ones,” Ramachandran said.
“Now, for a tanker supplying 2,000 litres of water, the rate is Rs 1,000 per load. For a tanker carrying 6,000 litres, the rate is now Rs 1,200 per load. For 12,000 litres, the charge is Rs 2,600 per load and for higher volumes like 18,000 litres or 20,000 litres and above, the charge is lower. Tanker owners can charge only Rs 170 per litre per load for volume of water above 18,000 litres,” he said, adding that this was not the case earlier.
“I supplied water to areas where I could charge anywhere from Rs 130 per litre to Rs 240 per litre. It varied depending on the area,” he said.
Ramachandran said in the case of tanker water rates for commercial establishments, which are on the much higher side, the collector has said the charges can be made uniform if the institutions approach him with complaints.