Minister for Labour Danam Nagender has urged Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to consider a proposal to provide at least 500 litres of free drinking water to the residents of twin cities.

Mr. Nagender after meeting the Chief Minister on Friday told The Hindu that he had made an appeal that the Delhi experiment should also be emulated here. “We have given a proposal to him to see that the free drinking water supply is provided from March this year,” he said.

Rs. 50 cr. expenditure

The Minister reasoned that the government would incur an expenditure of Rs 50 crore annually, if it provided 500 litres of free drinking water. He urged the Chief Minister to direct the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage Board (HMWWSB) to explore the proposal.

Mr Nagender said that he along with his colleague M. Mukesh Goud had held preliminary discussions with Municipal Administration Minister Maheedhar Reddy about the free drinking water supply.

He said to begin with the government could launch a pilot project and later expand the services.

He said conservative estimates put the number of water connections between 35-40 lakh.

He said if the government provided 50 per cent subsidy on power supply to the HMWWSB, they could ensure free supply of water.

Plea on arrears

They urged the Chief Minister to see that the arrears payable by the government departments to the water board was paid at the earliest so that it does not face financial crunch. He hoped that free drinking water supply was possible if proper planning was done. He advised the water board officials not to harass the residents for clearing the arrears and resorting to seizure of their household articles.