BWSSB water treatment plant.
Credit: DH File Photo
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has demanded close to Rs 14 crore from 13 private layouts in East Bengaluru as Establishment of Tools and Plants (ETP) charges.
The hefty charges, which come up to Rs 64 per square foot of land, have irked the locals.
The residents have written to the BWSSB, arguing that it was the government’s responsibility to provide basic infrastructure such as water supply and an Underground Drainage (UGD) system.
“The charges come up to close to Rs 76,000 for a house constructed on a 30x40 plot. Along with this, we will have to pay other connection charges and the total would cross Rs 1 lakh. This is a heavy fee for citizens,” said Anandappa L, a resident of Nagarjuna Layout in KR Puram.
Yet another resident said that the BWSSB had started disconnecting the UGD connections, forcing them to pay up. “We have no other option but to pay up for even basic facilities,” he said.
However, senior officials said that the BWSSB was allowed to levy such charges on private layouts and gated communities.
The developers are responsible for providing infrastructure in private layouts. Even in the case of layouts developed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), we collect the fee from the BDA, an official said. He added that the existing UGD connections were illegal since the residents had connected to the BWSSB network without approval from the BWSSB.
While residents in these layouts are disappointed with the notices, residents of many other areas that fall under the 110 villages that were added to the BBMP jurisdiction in 2008 heaved a sigh of relief since the BWSSB’s move to get the residents to apply for their connection could indicate that the board is making preparations to provide Cauvery water connection to these areas.
Notices issued
A senior BWSSB official confirmed to DH that the notices were now being issued since the project is nearing completion.
These 110 villages were supposed to get water connections under the Cauvery Stage V project by 2021 and many residents in these areas, who paid BWSSB connection charges nearly five years ago, are awaiting the completion of the project.
The BWSSB has missed multiple deadlines so far and the officials said that they now target to provide water supply by March 2024.