Live
- ‘Get Set, Grow Summit 2024’ Focuses on Digital Detox for Families
- Stokes motivates his team to put in extra effort, says England pacer Potts
- From overcoming setbacks to leading India in U19 Women’s Asia Cup, Niki Prasad's amazing journey
- Driving Enterprise Security: Inside Venkata Reddy Thummala’s Leadership Journey
- Constitution debate: PM Modi hails 'Nari Shakti'; makes strong pitch for 'United Bharat’
- Abhijeet Bhardwaj: Revolutionizing Enterprise Analytics with Innovation and Expertise
- Bihar: Inquiry initiated against principal who went to buy veggies during school hours
- Press Sri Lankan Prez for release of Indian fishermen: TN Cong MP to EAM Jaishankar
- TN: DMK postpones executive meet due to heavy rains & Parliament session
- Porous silicon oxide electrodes can fix durability issues in batteries: Researchers
New tap scheme fizzles out
New tap scheme fizzles out. Though it is over a year since the Telangana government had announced the ‘Intiintiki Nalla’ scheme it is yet to formulate the guidelines for the implementation of the scheme.
WATERING DOWN
High cost of installation forces government to abandon the scheme in civic areas
- Over 5 lakh applications for new tap connections pending in all municipalities
- Rich people exploited the scheme by producing white ration cards
Hyderabad: Though it is over a year since the Telangana government had announced the ‘Intiintiki Nalla’ scheme it is yet to formulate the guidelines for the implementation of the scheme. On the other hand it has decided to stop new tap connections for Rs 200 meant for BPL families in all municipalities in the state.
The government took the decision to abandon the Rs 200 tap connection scheme in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) on the grounds that the installation cost had escalated. According to MA and UD sources this decision was taken by the Chief Minister at a review meeting two days back.
The officials of the MA and UD department told The Hans India that the escalated installation cost of each tap and the exploitation of the scheme by some rich people ( who possess white ration cards) was the main reasons to scrap the scheme in all 67 municipalities including four Municipal Corporations-Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam and Nizamabad.
As many as 5 lakh applications seeking new tap connections were pending before the municipal bodies for the last two years. Warangal and Khammam had the highest number of pending applications ie- 30,000 each, followed by Karimnagar ( 15,000), Nalgonda ( 10,000 ) and 9,000 in Nizamabad. Over 1.5 lakh applications were pending in the newly created 25 Nagarpalikas.
The officials said that the installation cost of each tap has gone up from Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 in the last five years. Requirement of long pipelines to connect to the individual houses with main water pipeline was one of the main reasons which had led to increase in the cost of giving new connections. Since the launch of the scheme in 2010, one lakh BPL households were covered under the scheme in urban bodies in Telangana.
The MA & UD officials had received several complaints that even those in the above poverty line category in collusion with the local officials were getting tap connections by paying Rs 200 under the scheme. The cost of the installations of each tap connection for the APL households is about Rs 5000, the municipal authorities said.
By Patan Afzal Babu
