KWA to relax licensed plumber system

Managing Director of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) Ashok Kumar Singh has said that as part of the government move to ensure piped drinking water supply to 50 per cent of the population in two years, the KWA proposes to provide five lakh new water connections annually from this year.

Talking to The Hindu when he arrived at United Electrical Industries Limited (UEIL) here on Monday to inspect the water meters which the company has started producing for the KWA, he said that 30-lakh water connections would be required to achieve the 50 per cent target.

The figure now stood at 17 lakh connections. During the last two or three years, only less than two lakh connections could be provided annually. He said that to give more transparency in providing new water connections, the KWA intended to decontrol the existing licensed plumber system for getting water connections.

He said at present, the water connection process was under the control of an unholy nexus comprising the licensed plumbers and a section of the KWA officers. Once decontrol came into force, applicants would have the option to either move through the licensed plumbers or approach the KWA directly without any licensed plumber mediation.

Mr. Singh said that though the KWA had the potential for providing five-lakh new connections annually, that figure was not being achieved because of the existing licensed plumber system which encouraged corruption in the KWA. He said there were allegations that the system compelled applicants to pay amounts of even Rs.20,000 for a connection as bribe and this had become a major hurdle to providing new connections. The bribe was being collected under the guise of water meter shortage.

Therefore, in the larger interests of achieving the 50 per cent target in two years, the KWA proposed to decontrol the system. If the deal with UEIL worked out, the KWA would be able to considerably overcome the water meter shortage, he said.

Mr. Singh expressed satisfaction with the quality of water meters being produced by UEIL and said that the final decision to enter into a deal with the company would have to be taken by the KWA board. The UEIL being a PSU, the proposal was by and large a win-win situation for the KWA, he said.

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KWA to relax licensed plumber system