In tech zone, 10-day wait for tankers

Hyderabad: Kondapur, Manikonda, Serilingampally and Nizampet residents have to wait for 10 days for water tankers. The tankers are supposed to be delivered within 42 hours of booking. Unable to meet the demand, the Water Board has instructed filling stations to operate till 9.30 pm, and ensure delivery of tankers within two days. General manager of each division has been asked to call citizens personally to check if tankers are delivered on time.

Ms Shradha Nitin of Nanakramguda said, “For the last week the pressure of water is very less. I booked a Water Board a week back but we are still waiting for it. Whenever my daughter calls customer care, they say we will have to wait for two more days.” Ms S. Archana from Kondapur said the additional expense for buying water was a big burden on many households. “These days everyone in our locality is paying around Rs 1,500 every month for water, which is not easy for a middle-class family.”

The Water Board has made certain reforms with regard to the tanker service and for monitoring the movement of vehicles. Board managing director M. Dana Kishore said all tankers including those with the GHMC have been asked to have smart cards, without which they will  not be refilled at the station. He said GPS should be installed on every tanker to monitor its movement.

“The general managers are to send the list of tankers and phone numbers of customers to the head office daily for regular monitoring,” he said. Mr Kishore said the board was contemplating increasing the timings for supply of tankers from 8 am to 6 pm to 6 am to 9 pm. Customers should not bribe tanker drivers.