Sir,

I was delighted to read in Star of Mysore dated Mar. 5 that political heavy-weights like MP Pratap Simha, MLA G.T. Devegowda, MLA L. Nagendra and MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev are putting pressure on the Government for a separate Water Supply Board for Mysuru like the one in Bengaluru.

This is not a new idea. NGOs like Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) have been demanding for such a body since at least 25 years. Having interacted with Vani Vilas Water Works (VVWW) since the formation of MGP, members were familiar with the inherent drawbacks of VVWW. There were neither technically qualified people to manage water works nor competent managers to control the cost at VVWW.

VVWW could not even tell the true cost of supplying 1,000 litres of water to a residence. If a manufacturer does not know the cost of his goods, how long will he be in business?

At every stage there was interference by political leaders — elected and unelected. There was demand by them not to put pressure on consumers who were denying to pay legitimate bills which only put pressure on honest consumers.

There was misuse of water tankers. Water supply through tankers during water shortage was a big racket.

At one time, thanks to the efforts of MGP, during the Governor’s rule, all the hurdles to direct the Government machinery to initiate the formation of Mysuru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (MWSSB) were cleared and we were at the clearing line. Just then some powerful leaders from Mysuru stopped it.

Now the question is will we see the same fate this time also? Should we fail this time, we the people should demand who opposed the initiative and expose them. With very few rare exceptions, I am sure all concerned Mysureans are likely to support this initiative.

– Bhamy V. Shenoy on e-mail, Mysuru, 6.3.2021

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