Water supply to get dearer in Shimla as SJPNL hikes tariff by 10 pc

Shimla, April 2(PTI) Consumers in the state capital and surrounding areas will have to shell out more for water consumption, as Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) has hiked the tariff by ten per cent.

The revised rates will be applicable to all consumer categories, including domestic, commercial and religious institutions.

As per the notification issued by the government, the tariff would be different for consumers within the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) area and outside the SMC area, officials said on Wednesday.

The revised water charges will be ₹21.23 per kilo litre on 0-20 KL slab, ₹36.61 per KL on 20-30 slab and ₹69.89 for consumption above 30 Kl for consumers within the municipal limits. The minimum maintenance charges have been raised to ₹121 per month while the faulty meter rate would be ₹488.48 per month.

The tariff for consumers outside the SMC area would be ₹48.31 for consumption up to 20Kl, followed by ₹73.21 for 20-30 Kl slab and ₹102.49 for above 30 kilo litres while the minimum maintenance charge for domestic water connections outside the limits of the Shimla MC will be ₹242 per month. The faulty meter rate would be ₹1,948.58 per month.

The charges per kilo litre for water supply connections for establishments like hotels and restaurants within and outside the SMC limits will be ₹116.93 for consumption up to 20 Kl, ₹155.88 for 30-75 Kl and ₹214.34 for consumption above 75 Kl.

Further, ₹242 per month will be charged in case of plugged connections and ₹8,557.67 per month for faulty meters.

The charges for the commercial connections within and outside the SMC limits would be ₹58.56 for consumption up to 20 KL, ₹92.09 for 30 Kl, ₹122.40 for 75 Kl and ₹168.38 for above 75KL.

The revised tariff for government institutions, hospitals, Dharamshalas and religious places within and outside the SMC limits will be ₹92.25 per KL and 30 per cent of the water bill for all categories will be charged as sewerage charges.

In addition, the tanker charges have been hiked to ₹1,797 and ₹1,331 for commercial and domestic consumers for tankers with 2,000 litres capacity and ₹3,593 and ₹2,662 will be charged for commercial and domestic use for tankers having 4,000 litre capacity.

The revised charges for a 6,000 litre capacity tanker would be ₹3,993 for domestic use and ₹5,390.55 for commercial use, the officials added.