BWSSB comes up with one-time-settlement scheme for clearance of dues

BENGALURU: After the traffic police department, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is now planning to give some relief to those who have pending water bills. It is offering a one‑time settlement (OTS) scheme which will be launched in January.

This gives a golden opportunity for the water board to collect pending arrears. Full exemption will be given on late fees and interest for Cauvery water connections, but there is no exemption on the principal amount.

The exemption scheme on the outstanding amount will be available for three months and the state government has approved the proposal of the water board. Chairman of the BWSSB, Dr Ram Prasath Manohar, said that OTS scheme could be implemented from January.

In Bengaluru, which is one of the fastest‑growing cities in the world, the water board has provided 11.14  lakh water connections and is meeting the drinking water needs of 1.55  crore people in the city. Bringing water from the Cauvery river, which is 100 km away, supplying water and sewage charges are the main source of revenue for the water board.

However, central and state government departments, as well as the public who have water connections for residential and commercial buildings, are not paying the charges properly. Because of this, the water board is struggling to fund its daily operations. Over many years, consumers have arrears of Rs 700 crore, and it is expected that Rs 450 crore will actually be collected through the OTS scheme, the chairman said.