K'taka govt contemplating hiking water tariff by 1 paise per litre: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Mar 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the government was planning to hike the water tariff by one paise per litre, claiming that water rates in Bengaluru have not been revised since 2014.
In view of the losses, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed a hike of seven to eight paise per litre, he said.
"But I have told them that 7-8 paise is too much. The government is contemplating a one-paise hike per litre. We will discuss the matter with city MLAs before making a decision," said Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
The minister was responding to Congress MLC Ramoji Gowda, who urged the government to expedite the supply of Cauvery water to households given the approaching summer.
"We had a difficult year last year. As many as 7,000 borewells dried up, forcing the government to take over private water tankers. We have executed the Cauvery 5th Stage project, which is providing water to 110 villages," he said.
March 22 is Water Conservation Day, and the government has decided to observe a month-long campaign to create awareness about water conservation, he added, in a statement issued by his office.
Shivakumar alleged that builders had constructed large apartment complexes but had not paid deposits to the BWSSB.
"They have taken connections illegally. We have issued notices to them," he said.
He also warned that the government would take over water tankers this summer as well.
"The water tanker business has become a mafia. We have also decided to fill all the lakes with treated water to help recharge groundwater. The Cauvery 6th Stage plan is also ready," he said.
Noting that many people were using drinking water to wash livestock and water gardens, the minister added, "Many of them are covering bare ground with concrete, which affects water absorption. We will take action on these issues. The water conservation month will help create awareness about all these concerns."
Responding to BJP MLC Keshava Prasad, who raised concerns about compensation for those displaced by the Alamatti Dam and objections raised by Maharashtra, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "I believe an all-party delegation must go to Delhi and urge the Centre to issue a Gazette notification on the third stage of the Upper Krishna project."
When MLC Nagaraj Yadav drew attention to delays in waste disposal, Shivakumar said, "Solid waste management has become a mafia. A tender was called in the past, but vendors collectively moved the court, halting all work."
He added, "The court has yet to deliver a judgment. Some MLAs are blackmailing us over garbage dumping pits—I don’t want to name them. They are demanding Rs 800 crore for their constituencies. Garbage trucks have been parked in Mahadevapura constituency for several days now, and it has become a major issue."
"We are planning to visit Indore to study their waste management model. We haven’t called for a tender, yet the Opposition is claiming I have made Rs 15,000 crore," Shivakumar stated.
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Nirmala Sitharaman faces backlash as old posts show use of 'ரூ' symbol
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New Delhi: The BJP, which criticised the Tamil Nadu government for replacing the official rupee symbol (₹) with the Tamil letter 'ரூ' in the logo for the 2025-26 state budget, is now facing backlash after old social media posts of its own leaders using the same symbol surfaced.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had accused the DMK-led government of promoting separatism under the guise of regionalism. However, journalist and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair shared screenshots of her 2017 post where she had used the Tamil 'ரூ' symbol multiple times.
Similarly, BJP Tamil Nadu president Annamalai, who had questioned the DMK government over the issue and called it an insult to the national rupee symbol, was also found to have used 'ரூ' in several posts, including tweets from 2023 and last year.
This controversy comes amid Tamil Nadu’s ongoing disputes with the Centre over issues like the push to make Hindi an official language. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had unveiled the budget logo featuring the Tamil rupee symbol along with hashtags 'Dravidian Model' and 'TN Budget 2025.'
But why ma'am why. pic.twitter.com/Xfh8yk9Nxb
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 13, 2025
Thiru @annamalai_k Why use 'ரூ' symbol in your tweets instead of ₹ rupee symbol sir? https://t.co/Fxls2yytjz pic.twitter.com/UXrUsz7fxW
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 13, 2025
