Palike draws up Rs 38.75-cr plan to tackle water crisis

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has drawn a Rs 38.75-crore action plan to tackle water crisis during summer.

Addressing a press meet here on Monday, chairperson of BBMP standing committee for ward-level works A H Basavaraju said that the Palike would sink borewells and take steps for supply of water through tankers to areas facing water scarcity.

“Every year, we used to deposit money with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) for taking up water supply work during summer. But the BWSSB delays in executing the works and hence this year, the Palike will approach the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL). Palike funds and special grants from Commissioner will be utilised for the purpose,” Basavaraju said. He said the standing committee has taken the initiative for the first time and the proposal was discussed with the officials three months ago.

H P Prakash, Managing Director of KRIDL said that he was yet to receive official intimation from the Palike. BWSSB engineer-in-chief T Venkataraju said that the Palike itself can take up the responsibility if it considers itself “efficient.” He said the BWSSB was ready to supply water to the affected areas in tankers at Rs 19 per kilolitre. He said permission needs to obtained from competent authorities to sink borewells as the City comes under notified area. He claimed that KRIDL had never executed water supply works.

The relief work would be taken up in 18 Assembly constituencies with the highest amount allotted to Yeshwantpur constituency (Rs 9.98 crore) followed by KR Puram ( Rs 3.85 crore), Govindarajnagar (Rs 3.80 crore), Bangalore South ( Rs 3.43 crore), Dasarahalli (Rs 3.30 crore), Vijayanagar (Rs 2.79 crore), Yelahanka (Rs 2.67 crore), RT Nagar (Rs 2.59 crore), Byatarayanapura (Rs 1.70 crore), Rajajinagar (Rs 62 lakh), Mahadevapura ( Rs 40 lakh), Shivajinagar ( Rs 35 lakh) and Padmanabhanagar ( Rs 30 lakh). A sum of Rs two lakh to Rs 25 lakh has been earmarked for Chikpet, Malleswaram, Chamarajpet, BTM Layout and Mahalakshmi constituencies.