Team Goemkarponn
AGASSAIM: Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant today announced that the government was forced to withdraw the ‘zero water bill’ scheme after it was found to be misused by consumers who applied for multiple water connections to avoid payment.
He was speaking at the launch of the ‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal’ project in Agassaim, under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The project includes the construction of a 2000 cubic metre Ground Level Reservoir (GLR) and a 650 square metre Overhead Reservoir (OHR) to provide piped water to rural homes in St Andre constituency.
“Supplying water costs the government ₹20 per cubic metre, but consumers pay only ₹3 to ₹4. This results in a massive loss of ₹16 per unit. We had no choice but to discontinue the scheme as it was being exploited. People must understand the cost involved and use water judiciously,” said the Chief Minister.
CM Sawant also announced that the government’s next focus would be on implementing the ‘Har Ghar Fiber’ scheme to ensure high-speed internet connectivity in every household across the state.
MLA Viresh Borkar, who was present at the event, thanked the Public Works Department for improving the water supply in the constituency.
He urged the government to increase the supply from the existing 3.5 million litres per day (MLD) to 5 MLD and welcomed the repair and renovation of ageing overhead tanks. “Water conservation is everyone’s responsibility, and access to clean water is a basic right,” Borkar added.
The scheme, launched in September 2021, was a flagship initiative of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who had declared that Goa would become the first State in India to provide water free of cost to its citizens. Under the initiative, households consuming less than 16 cubic meters of water per month were exempted from paying water bills.
At the time, the Chief Minister had claimed that the move would benefit around 60% of households, especially those in flats and complexes, significantly easing their monthly financial burden.
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