BHOPAL: Bhopal Municipal Corporationís (BMCís) Rs 100-crore project related to installation of water meters has proved to be a waste of public money. Over 2 lakh such water meters were installed across the city under individual and bulk connections. These meters are now either lying useless in homes, are broken or have been stolen from a few spots.
This is the reason behind the uneven distribution of water supply in the city. Also, the revenue of BMC could have risen three-fold. Besides, water wastage would be easily checked. These meters could have helped the BMC take charges for water supply on the basis of consumption from the users.
The project was carried out under the JNNURM and then completed under the AMRUT scheme. However, even 3 years after completion, the reading of water supply through the meters could not be started.
The project was started in 2009-í10 under the JNNURM scheme and completed in 2014 and was started in 2016 and was completed on April 4, 2018, under the AMRUT scheme. But, not a single bill was collected since then under the project. Still, monthly water tax is charged and residents are paying it irrespective of their volume of consumption.
Missing or not working
BMC had floated a tender for an agency to collect the bills on the basis of the meter reading, but no agency came forward. Later, a firm was awarded the contract for reading the bills, but it left the work midway. The firm left the project since, when its officials went to read the meters in a colony, they found these meters missing, not working or showing a wrong reading
Taxpayers' money wasted
Former chairperson of BMC Kailash Mishra says that the waste of public money should be investigated. He says the project was meant for the benefit of the public, but taxpayersí money was wasted and there should be action against the officials responsible for it.
