Hyderabad: Free drinking water scheme for tenants too

HYDERABAD: The state government has decided to extend the 20-kilolitre free drinking water scheme to tenants in the GHMC limits. Tenants will be able to apply online for the scheme, though the connection will be in the name of the owners’ names, where property tax details are taken into account.
However, confusion continues to prevail over the scheme being available to consumers residing in apartments.

According to highly placed sources, the government held a review meeting with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) before deciding to extend the scheme to tenants. The government has accordingly issued instructions to provide the tenant option for Aadhaar number linkage with the Customer Account Number (CAN). Aadhaar linkage can also be done at the MeeSeva centres or through the HMWS&SB website. The IT wing is testing the tenant option.

A senior municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department official, requesting anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that there are about 30 lakh houses in the city of which 47 per cent are occupied by owners. If the free drinking water scheme is implemented only for houseowners, who hold property tax identification numbers, it would delay the Aadhaar linkage programme.

It was then decided that tenants residing in the house can now upload their Aadhaar details along with property tax details of the owner.

The senior official said an official announcement will be made soon in this regard after a nod from MA&UD minister K.T. Rama Rao. Asked about availability of free drinking water scheme for those residing in apartments, he said norms in this regard, though delayed, will be announced soon.

The HMWS&SB has already extended the deadline for installing water meters through empanelled agencies for availing the free water scheme from March 31 till April end. About 95 per cent of connections, excluding commercial and others within GHMC limits, will benefit under the scheme. Aadhaar linkage has been completed in slums but is going on at a snail's pace in other areas. As on date, the water supply board has seeded only 1.61 lakh connections with Aadhaar numbers out of total 9.84 lakh households.