Water Tariff Hike in JK
News Kashmir Exclusive
Water is life .Jammu and Kashmir region is known for rich fresh water resources especially the Kashmir valley. Despite that Water Charges are going up .Recently it was learnt that Water usage charges have been increased by 10 percent in Jammu and Kashmir.As a matter of fact , The Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources Regulatory Authority (J&KWRRA) in its order has revised the water tariff for consumers in domestic as well as commercial segments with effect from April 2021.
“In terms of section 128 and in terms of section 145(2) of the J&K Water Resources (Regulation and Management) Act 2010, the Authority has decided to fix the water usage charges/tariff for different categories of water for the year 2021-22 effective from 01-04-2021. The order shall remain valid till 31-04-2022,” reads the order.
For households in urban areas, water tariff of Rs 1500 and Rs 2850 half yearly has been fixed for connection size of ½ and 1/3 inches respectively. The user charges have been increased by Rs 300 per year in this category.
As per the order, in the domestic connection category, the tariff for consumers with a connection size of ½ inch in rural areas is fixed at Rs 500 per six months; Rs 800 per half year has been fixed for connection size of ¾ inch.
In the commercial category, water tariff of Rs 5000 per half year has been fixed by the authority for connection size ½ inches.
The water tariff for connection size ¾, 1 and beyond 1 inch has been fixed at Rs 15400, Rs 46220 and Rs 77000 respectively per half year.
A senior Jal Shakti department official said that “water usage charges have been increased by over 10 percent. It is a routine exercise. However, there are huge number of households who still have not registered their water connections with the department which is hampering the revenue collection of the department.”Political voices and masses are critical of the move.Meanwhile , the Apni Party Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir on Thursday expressed his deep resentment over an arbitrary hike in water tariff across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, Mir said the exponential increase in the water bills remains incongruous and uncalled-for at this juncture as it will further aggravate the sufferings of the people at large.One is hopeful that considering the manner in which the pandemic of Coronavirus has wrecked Havoc on pocket of common man this decision of water Tariff Hike in JK.
