All in a day’s work: AAP announces free water, Rs1 cr for dead cop’s kin
31 Dec 2013 7:04 AM IST
The government has also increased water tariff by 10 per cent for consumers who do not fall in the waive-off category. ‘The domestic consumers having functional meters consuming up to 20 kilolitres per month, 667 liters per day, will be exempted from making payment of water bills. The consumers consuming more than this limit will be required to pay the full bill and as per the water tariff which has been increased by 10 per cent,’ said the order of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) which will be applicable from first day of 2014. The decision was announced by the board after Delhi chief minister who is also chairman of the board decided to implement his poll promise on Monday evening.
Kejriwal also sought to address concern that free water would be a financial drain. ‘It would cost the government just Rs 40 crores for the last three months of this financial year and Rs 160 crore a year thereafter,’ he tweeted.
DJB, the water producing and distributing body in Delhi, has a total of 19.48 lakh water connections out of which 15.9 lakh are metered and rest 3.51 lakh water connections don’t have water meters.
Besides three bulk consumers - Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Military Engineering Services (MES) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have 3,960 metered connections from DJB. The water connections of DJB are of three categories - domestic, mixed use and commercial/industrial. The number of domestic and mixed use connections in the city is around 19.20 lakh.
As per the record of DJB in 2007, there were 30 lakh dwelling units in Delhi and thus around 11 lakh people in Delhi don’t have valid water connections. However, none of the government agencies have exact record of number of households in the city which varies highly due to a large number of unauthorised colonies and slums but a satellite survey conducted by the Delhi government revealed over 50 lakh properties in Delhi.
‘He has increased water bill by 10 per cent for Delhiites who are already suffering from sky rocketing price rise,’ said Harsh Vardhan, BJP’s leader of legislative party in Delhi assembly. ‘The government should abstain from such populous measures and focus on providing potable water to lakhs of households who don’t have valid water connections,’ he added.
SK Sharma, president of Resident Federation of Rohini Cooperative Group Housing Societies, which has 156 societies as members said, ‘The free water should have been given on per dwelling unit as societies have one connection for all the flats in it.’ He even threatened to protest if the benefit is not extended for them while MLA from Rohini Rajesh Garg rubbished the claims of Sharma but refused to comment on the decision. ‘Please wait for one to two days,’ Garg, who has been elected on AAP ticket, told Millennium Post.
‘All the domestic consumers with metered connection will get 20 kilolitres of water free of cost from 1 January. We will not even levy any existing charges such as water cess and sewerage charge,’ newly-appointed Delhi Jal Board CEO Vijay Kumar told reporters. Currently, there are 1,642 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, most of which are supplied water by tankers.
Bootleggers had killed cop
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday announced a Rs 1 crore compensation to family of the 48-year-old excise department constable who died after being attacked by bootleggers on 27 December. The decision was taken at a meeting between excise commissioner AK Singh and Arvind Kejriwal.
Constable Vinod Kumar died of his injuries in a hospital after being beaten by a group of bootleggers on the night of 27 December in a jungle in Ghitorni village near Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi. In his letter to Savita, the wife of the constable, Kejriwal expressed his deep remorse for the death of her husband and announced the compensation. ‘Honouring your husband’s martyrdom, the Delhi government has announced Rs 1 crore compensation to your family,’ said the letter.
In the letter, Kejriwal expressed his helplessness to meet the family as he is ill. But he said it would be his great fortune if he can help the family in any way.
According to police, the attack on the constable took place around 1.45am when Vinod Kumar along with constable Sokhinder and two civilians, Pawan and Mukesh, reached the area while chasing two bootleggers carrying liquor in their car. Some men surrounded Vinod Kumar and his colleagues and hurled stones. Kumar’s colleagues fled but he was beaten to death.
Permits for 3,000 more auto-rickshaws
Delhi government has also decided to give permits for a fresh batch of 3,000 auto-rickshaws, which will take the number of new three-wheelers in the city to 45,000. Transport minister Ramakant Goswami said the government decided to increase the number of auto-rickshaw as commuters in several areas have been experiencing shortage of three-wheelers. ‘The Transport department has received representations from commuters to grant more permits to auto-rickshaws,’ he said.
Kejriwal also sought to address concern that free water would be a financial drain. ‘It would cost the government just Rs 40 crores for the last three months of this financial year and Rs 160 crore a year thereafter,’ he tweeted.
DJB, the water producing and distributing body in Delhi, has a total of 19.48 lakh water connections out of which 15.9 lakh are metered and rest 3.51 lakh water connections don’t have water meters.
Besides three bulk consumers - Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Military Engineering Services (MES) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have 3,960 metered connections from DJB. The water connections of DJB are of three categories - domestic, mixed use and commercial/industrial. The number of domestic and mixed use connections in the city is around 19.20 lakh.
As per the record of DJB in 2007, there were 30 lakh dwelling units in Delhi and thus around 11 lakh people in Delhi don’t have valid water connections. However, none of the government agencies have exact record of number of households in the city which varies highly due to a large number of unauthorised colonies and slums but a satellite survey conducted by the Delhi government revealed over 50 lakh properties in Delhi.
‘He has increased water bill by 10 per cent for Delhiites who are already suffering from sky rocketing price rise,’ said Harsh Vardhan, BJP’s leader of legislative party in Delhi assembly. ‘The government should abstain from such populous measures and focus on providing potable water to lakhs of households who don’t have valid water connections,’ he added.
SK Sharma, president of Resident Federation of Rohini Cooperative Group Housing Societies, which has 156 societies as members said, ‘The free water should have been given on per dwelling unit as societies have one connection for all the flats in it.’ He even threatened to protest if the benefit is not extended for them while MLA from Rohini Rajesh Garg rubbished the claims of Sharma but refused to comment on the decision. ‘Please wait for one to two days,’ Garg, who has been elected on AAP ticket, told Millennium Post.
‘All the domestic consumers with metered connection will get 20 kilolitres of water free of cost from 1 January. We will not even levy any existing charges such as water cess and sewerage charge,’ newly-appointed Delhi Jal Board CEO Vijay Kumar told reporters. Currently, there are 1,642 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, most of which are supplied water by tankers.
Bootleggers had killed cop
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday announced a Rs 1 crore compensation to family of the 48-year-old excise department constable who died after being attacked by bootleggers on 27 December. The decision was taken at a meeting between excise commissioner AK Singh and Arvind Kejriwal.
Constable Vinod Kumar died of his injuries in a hospital after being beaten by a group of bootleggers on the night of 27 December in a jungle in Ghitorni village near Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi. In his letter to Savita, the wife of the constable, Kejriwal expressed his deep remorse for the death of her husband and announced the compensation. ‘Honouring your husband’s martyrdom, the Delhi government has announced Rs 1 crore compensation to your family,’ said the letter.
In the letter, Kejriwal expressed his helplessness to meet the family as he is ill. But he said it would be his great fortune if he can help the family in any way.
According to police, the attack on the constable took place around 1.45am when Vinod Kumar along with constable Sokhinder and two civilians, Pawan and Mukesh, reached the area while chasing two bootleggers carrying liquor in their car. Some men surrounded Vinod Kumar and his colleagues and hurled stones. Kumar’s colleagues fled but he was beaten to death.
Permits for 3,000 more auto-rickshaws
Delhi government has also decided to give permits for a fresh batch of 3,000 auto-rickshaws, which will take the number of new three-wheelers in the city to 45,000. Transport minister Ramakant Goswami said the government decided to increase the number of auto-rickshaw as commuters in several areas have been experiencing shortage of three-wheelers. ‘The Transport department has received representations from commuters to grant more permits to auto-rickshaws,’ he said.
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