Common Man Hit Again? Karnataka Govt Planning Water Tariff Hike While Freebies Stay

Bengaluru: Even as the Karnataka government doles out freebies under its so-called ambitious welfare schemes, it is now planning to increase the water tariff, adding to the financial strain of Bengaluru residents. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said that the government is contemplating a hike of one paise per litre in water rates, citing that the city's water tariffs have remained unchanged since 2014.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), facing mounting losses, had initially proposed a steep increase of seven to eight paise per litre. However, Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, stated that such a hike would be excessive. “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,” he said.

Shivakumar was replying to Congress MLC Ramoji Gowda, who urged the government to provide Cauvery water to houses quickly in view of the approaching summer.

"We had a difficult year last year. As many as 7000 borewells had dried up, and hence, the government had taken over private water tankers. We have executed the 5th stage of Cauvery, which provides water to 110 villages. March 22 is Water Conservation Day, and the government has decided to observe a month-long campaign to create awareness about water conservation," the Deputy CM said.

"Builders have built large apartments, but none of them have paid deposits to the BWSSB. They have taken connections illegally. We have issued notices to them," he warned.

"The government will be taking over water tankers this summer too. The water tanker business has become a mafia. We have also decided to fill all the lakes with treated water in order to recharge the ground water. Cauvery 6th stage plan is also ready," he said.

"A lot of people are using drinking water to wash livestock and to water gardens. Many of them are covering the bare ground with concrete, which affects water absorption. We will take action on these things. The water conservation month will create awareness about all these things," he added.  

The proposed hike comes at a time when the Congress-led Karnataka government has been aggressively rolling out welfare initiatives, including the 'Gruha Jyothi' scheme providing free electricity, 'Anna Bhagya' for free rice, and 'Shakti' offering free bus travel for women. While these populist measures are being promoted as pro-poor policies, they have placed an increasing burden on the state’s finances. Now, the same government is set to recover costs from ordinary citizens by hiking water charges, which could have a cascading effect on household expenses.

Critics argue that instead of implementing pragmatic fiscal management, the government is resorting to squeezing taxpayers while simultaneously engaging in populist giveaways.

With Bengaluru already grappling with issues like water scarcity, deteriorating infrastructure, and rising costs of living, an additional burden on essential utilities is bound to hit the middle class and lower-income groups the hardest.