MCC, KUWSSB, JUSCO lock horns

While agencies point fingers at each other, residents continue their protests

While the residents of Paduvarahalli were protesting demanding adequate water on Tuesday at one hand, on the other hand at the MCC meeting, the government and private agency (Jamshedpur Utilities and Supply Company Limited (JUSCO)) were locked in a heated discussion over not just water, but other related subjects.

In a continued lack of coordination between Mysore City Corporation (MCC), Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board (KUWSSB) and JUSCO, the tri-partite agreement holders, the representatives of the afore said wings indulged in mudslinging.
Eventually, it was decided that the VVWW would take timely measures, while JUSCO agreed to give five more tankers against 15 already given to water works. The water works on its own already has 17 tankers.

Subbegowda, executive engineer of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) under which the overhauling of drinking water supply system in the city has been undertaken, refuted the claims of Suresh Sharma, deputy general manager of JUSCO that there was no specification of the scope of work to be taken up under operation and maintenance (O and M) in the tri-partite agreement. Sharma, in his defence blamed the government for the delay in considering the pending proposal estimated at Rs 132 crore. Sharma said that “the company has been spending Rs 1.5 crore on various works every month and yet the authorities concerned aren’t making any payments”.

Subbegowda shot back, saying that JUSCO has failed to meet the nine criteria, mandatory to fulfil the related procedures on payments. A third party too had given a negative report after inspecting the works executed by JUSCO, he added.

As is the procedure, the State government reviews the performance of JUSCO every six months and files a report. In a recent report in February, the performance of JUSCO was “unsatisfactory” and it was levied a penalty.

Till date, a penalty to the tune of Rs 1.58 crore has been collected from JUSCO. “Yet, JUSCO is lagging behind,” Subbegowda added.

JUSCO has been told either to rescind the contract or improve the performance.
Notwithstanding the contention of Subbegowda, Sharma said complying with the agreement, JUSCO did a recce of the water supply system in the city for one year and spent another two years on operation and maintenance that lasted on January 2013.

During the survey, it was found that there were 1.80 lakh connections against the MCC’s claim of 1.17 lakh.

Of 1.17 lakh connections, work on rehabilitating 90,000 connections have been completed, with 27,000 households remaining to be connected still.

Following the pending works, they had stopped few works for the last one year. Still, the company has been attending to around 500 complaints.

Mysore to get water from Hemavathy

Krishnaraja MLA M K Somashekar on Tuesday said that to mitigate the increasing water woes of the city, KRS would get an additional 20,000 cusecs of water from Hemavathy Dam. The MLA claimed that following his requisition to the newly designated chief minister Siddaramaiah, the latter has directed his Principal Secretary Narasimharaju to instruct the authorities concerned to release additional water from Hemavathy to KRS dam. That apart, works are afoot to draw water from KRS once the water level reaches dead storage at 60 feet.

To a question, the MLA replied that water woes may remain till the first week of June, until the rainy season arrives.

MCC commissioner P G Ramesh said that MCC had taken all necessary measures to address the woes.