Can Delhi model be replicated in Hyd?

Free drinking water, lower power tariff and night shelters are viable in Hyderabad, say experts

As soon as he came to power, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, initiated the free supply of drinking water and slashed power tariffs for lower and middle class families in the national capital by half. When he found out that 175 families were living on footpaths, he ordered construction of extra night shelters. In Hyderabad, there is one question on everyone’s mind- can’t these be implemented in our city too? Experts in the field answer in the affirmative

Hyderabad: Water, shelter and electricity are prime needs across the country. So it is but natural that the public expects the government to provide them at the lowest possible cost. The experience of Hyderabadis is no different from the rest of the country. Time and again they battled for potable drinking water, let alone continuous increase in taxes and tariffs. As far as shelter for the homeless is concerned, it is a common sight that most waywards and beggars sleep on footpaths. In the wake of free water supply and slashing of power tariffs in Delhi, let us see the state of water supply, power transmission and night shelters in city.

Water supply

Until the Krishna Phase I works were completed and operational, city was never assured of water supply every day. An independent study by the Forum for Good Governance (FGG) said that city only received 80 litres of water per day, which is 50 litres short of what is required.

However, there are several problems that are plaguing the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB). The board is also cash crunched and is battling the problem of bad debts. And more than that, reports suggest that 30 per cent of water is lost in transmission.

“If water is supplied for free to the urban poor, the quantity involved is approximately Rs 27 crore a year. If the GHMC renders the due 25 per cent of property tax, the CPDCL converts the charges from commercial to domestic, leakage and other repairs are taken up by the board, they can surely be in a position to supply water for free,” said Padmanabha Reddy, president, Forum for Good Governance.

Ministers Danam Nagender and Mukesh Goud have written to the Chief Minister to look into the possibility of supplying water for free to the urban poor. Reportedly Kiran Kumar Reddy has given a verbal consent and a team from the HMWS&SB will be going to Delhi to study their system.

“We have got a proposal from the government to supply drinking water for free to the urban poor. Our team is studying the proposal. As of now we are giving a subsidy up to 15 units, in slums we are giving water only for Rs 7, while others have to pay Rs 10,” said J Syamala Rao, MD, HMWS & SB.

Night shelters

It was in 2010 that the Apex Court directed all the state governments to open night shelters -- one for every one lakh of population-- wherever population exceeded five lakh. The homes should have all basic amenities such as power, water, toilets, fully equipped kitchen, beds, fans, lights, recreation facilities and opportunities to learn livelihood skills. The GHMC only has 14 night shelters, while Delhi, including the newly constructed 45, has a total of 220 shelters.

GHMC had plans of converting community halls into shelters. But the corporators were against converting the community halls. They do feel the community halls should serve the purpose they are intended for. Resident associations too had a problem with the idea for they claimed that it would become a hive for miscreants and would ruin the harmony of the colonies. This resulted in an impasse.

“The problem here is the lack of conviction. If the GHMC officials co-ordinate and take the support of the civic societies and NGOs, finding land and construction of shelters wouldn’t be a major problem,” said Rao Chelikani, an activist.

“We have faced a lot of protest while trying to build night shelters in places like the Old City,” said, city Mayor Majid Hussain.

Power Transmission

There was fury all around when the Discoms proposed an increase in power tariffs last year. Reports suggest that the city has to brace for steep increase in the power tariffs from the next fiscal year (beginning April 1, 2014). In the last five years, additional surcharge has been increased 11 times.

The city is at a disadvantage when compared to Delhi, as it doesn’t have a power supply station. Hyderabad gets most of its power from Ramagundam.

However, recent reports of the linkage of northern and southern power grids have raised hopes of the state procuring power from states in the north.

“Slashing of charges by half cannot be made immediately. Long-term measures have to be planned for that. Maximum loss is through transmission that should be revamped. Stringent measures have to be taken against power theft. If these are in place and linking of the power grids is done, then slashing of prices by half is possible,” said, Raghu, an expert in power transmission.

(The rates for usage under 400 units is slashed by half by the Delhi government)