Corruption main motive behind water meter mandate: People's group

The state level Jan Abhiyan Samiti has accused the government of promoting corruption by mandating installation of water meters in all seven cities of UP, including Lucknow, despite shortage and poor quality of water supply in most areas. The committee claimed that the local water agencies would most likely take undue advantage of this order by harassing common man to pay more.An effort was made earlier too in 2009 to install water meters in a few areas of Lucknow but the idea bombed due to opposition from the public. The members of the association claimed that there are no estimates as to how many meters were installed in 2009 and where have they gone. "I am quite sure those have been sold out to make money by the workers of local bodies," alleged vice-president of the Samiti, Ramesh Mishra. TNNLarge part of old Lucknow, many commercial areas, outskirts of the core city are devoid of even bare minimum supply of water. Even those areas which receive water frequently complain of fecal contamination, dissolved sewage matter, sand, mud and other impurities in water. The association said that most water pipes are old and worn out and have been leaking for years.State convener of the Samiti, Chandra Kumar Chhabra, said, "Water meter installation was a key reform under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. But the mission also makes provision for ensuring 14-16 hours timely supply of pure water before installing water meters. The government has shown much haste in implementing the order even before listening to the plight of the public."