Electricity bill enough to get new water connection

HYDERABAD: Come January 1 and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) will simply norms for obtaining new water connections for half-inch (15 mm) domestic pipelines.

"According to the new norm, the applicant can produce a bill issued by the Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Ltd (APCPDCL) as proof to get new connection. Till now, the board had been insisting on xerox copies of either the registered sale deed, gift deed, lease deed, house site patta, assessment receipt from GHMC or Aadhaar card as proof. In some cases, the applicants did not possess any of these documents," a senior Water Board official told STOI. With the latest relaxation of norms, the applicant has to only file an affidavit (indemnity bond) on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper duly notarized along with the power bill, he said.

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is also chairman of the Water Board, accorded permission for this relaxation during the recent board meeting. The same relaxation would also be applicable for regularization of illegal connections (15mm). But they would have to pay Rs 300 as service charge, Rs 200 as normal connection charges and unmetered consumption charges for three months at the tariff rate applicable.

In case, tenants want to obtain a new water connection, he/she would have to produce a 'no objection' from the property owner. However, the water connection would be sanctioned and a 'customer account number' generated in the name of the property owner, the official said.

Though the Water Board is not in a position to supply adequate water to its 8.06 lakh customers, they have decided to encourage new connections. The board has been supplying 331 MGD per day against the demand of 340 MGD.

Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Electricity-bill-enough-to-get-new-water-connection/articleshow/27047155.cms

Hike in water rates will affect investments

THANE: Complaining against the recent 31% increase in water rates and rising price of power supplied to industrial units in MIDC area, the Chamber of Small Industry Association has warned that such decisions will discourage investments in the sector in Maharashtra

Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/Hike-in-water-rates-will-affect-investments/articleshow/27008656.cms

Boy drowns in city corporation's swimming pool

MANGALORE: A 13 year-old boy drowned in Mangalore City Corporation Swimming pool. The boy was taken to hospital immediately, but the doctors declared him brought dead.

The deceased has been identified as Sohan (13), a student and resident of Boloor in the city. Eyewitnesses told TOI that the boy, who was not proficient in swimming, lost balance and started sinking. Seeing him screaming for help, the swimming pool staff and others swung into action and fished him out of the pond immediately.

He was taken to a nearby hospital in a car. Since, his condition was serious, the boy was later taken to AJ Hospital.

Sources in AJ Hospital told TOI that the boy was brought dead. Barke police registered a case.

Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/Boy-drowns-in-city-corporations-swimming-pool/articleshow/24709876.cms

Drinking water major worry for Lingaraj Vihar residents

BHUBANESWAR: Residents of Lingaraj Vihar in the state capital have been running from pillar to post demanding direct pipe water supply by Public Health Department (PHD) to their houses.

Lingaraj Vihar in Pokhariput locality was developed as a residential area in 2001-02 and has 430 houses. Ever since inception, drinking water has been a major cause of concern for the residents.

Initially, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the two private builders who developed the colony used to fill up a 3 lakh litre water tank in the area hiring water tankers. Residents had to bear the cost. Then, at one point of time, water was lifted from open wells in the area through pumps to fill up the tank.

In summer, however, all these arrangements fall flat. After repeated appeals, the public health department ensured piped water connection to the tank, but there is no arrangement for water to reach individual houses, locals rued.

"We have been demanding separate PHD pipe water connections to our houses, but that has not been done. We continue to get polluted water collected from different sources, which often cause spread of water-borne diseases in our locality," Sisir Kumar Mohapatra, president of Lingaraj Vihar Welfare Association, said.

The other major problem of the area is poorly maintained roads. Roads were dug up almost two years ago for sewerage work, but neither has the work been completed, nor have the roads been levelled.

Mayor Anant Narayan Jena said, "The roads were earlier with the BDA and they have been handed over to BMC only recently. We have urged the sewerage board to complete their project and after that we would complete repair works. Plans are afoot to arrange individual piped water connections to their houses."

Source - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Drinking-water-major-worry-for-Lingaraj-Vihar-residents/articleshow/26634321.cms