Bengaluru: Trade licence must for pivate water tankers

Bengaluru: In areas where the BWSSB is unable to supply piped water, residents are at the mercy of tanker mafia which extract groundwater and supply them.

Compared with last year, the notorious tanker mafia is demanding double the amount. A load of water (4,000 litres) which used to be Rs 500-600 last year, has almost doubled this year.

While tanker operators are making hay, BWSSB Chairman  Tushar Girinath claimed that he had shot off a letter to the BBMP in this regard. He explained the board does not have any powers to act against tanker mafia.

Girinath told Deccan Chronicle, "According to BWSSB Act we do not have any powers to curb tanker mafia and their exploitation of groundwater."

"Excluding 110 villages, water board is supplying water in its tankers in areas which is short of water. BBMP has to regulate tankers and prevent them from fleecing residents. With the help of its health inspectors it should also check the quality of water being supplied in tankers," he explained.

However, when Deccan Chronicle spoke to Mayor G Padmavathi, she maintained that BBMP hasn't received any letter from the BWSSB. She however said that tanker mafia should be regulated and BBMP is working towards a mechanism to issue trade licences to them.

"We are aware of tankers fleecing residents. With no regulatory mechanism in place, they sink borewells near lake beds and on empty lands and guzzled thousands of litres of water every day," she said.

The Mayor said the BBMP will shortly announce compulsory trade licence for tankers and also take immediate actions against taker operators who are fleecing people and those running illegal borewells.