निदेशक कार्मिक के तुगलकी फ़िरमान

मंत्रीजी पीडिट जनता के लिए मुखर हुए। SCREAMED THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

        “How dare you take such a decision without consulting me?” thundered the Honourable Mantriji. “Are you going to kill the people? You have no business to increase the rates of drinking water by 3750%. Imagine the hardship that common people would face. Cancel the order regarding increased rates of drinking water immediately.”

        In the later part of 2012, we had increased the rates of treated water supply to the all residents of the colony of the Central PSU as well as to various offices and commercial establishments located in the CPSU Area. The Company was buying treated water from the State Government at rates as decided by the State Govt and the CPSU was providing the water at a rate of Rs 4/- per month to each household for the last 15 or more years.

        The State government had last revised the rates of water charges vide its Circular No 1624 dated 31 May 2006. While the State Govt routinely raised the rates at which it supplied treated water to the CPSU, the CPSU did not have the rights to raise the rates of treated water that it supplied to its downstream consumers unless approved by Mantriji.

        A loss making CPSU was subsidising water consumed by everyone living and working within its area. The company was buying treated water from State Govt in bulk, and was supplying the same water to its consumers at Rs 4/- per month per household after incurring bulk breaking, transmission, distribution and pipeline infrastructure maintenance costs. It was not just employees of the CPSU who lived within the CPSU area, there were ex-employees who had leased the quarters from the CPSU for 90 years, there were employees of State Govt, State Police personnel and their families, CISF personnel, State Electricity Board Personnel, shops, schools, banks and their employees and sundry other people who had no relationship with the CPSU. In fact the employees of the CPSU were in a minority.

        The rates of piped treated water was raised to Rs 150/- per month per household for quarters of the smallest size which were the largest in numbers and higher rates for the top two categories of houses which were much larger in size with large gardens attached to the houses. The increased rates were lesser than what was being charged by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation, which received water free of cost from the State Govt but charged its downstream consumers. The comparative charges levied are given below.

Ser No	Size Of Domestic Building in Sq Metres	Monthly Water Charges Levied by CPSU	Monthly Water Charges Levied by Municipal Corporation
i	Up to 100 Sq m	Rs 150/-	Rs 200/-
ii	101 to 200 sq m	Rs 250/-	Rs 300/-

        Everyone was enjoying the benefits of subsidised treated piped water which was bleeding an already loss making company. Mantriji couldn’t care less, as he was an honourable man. As far as he was concerned, the company can go to dogs, it had no rights to raise the rates of treated water that it supplied to consumers living within the CPSU area. They were his vote bank, how could he allow them to be financially destroyed. He was the MP for the whole of the district, but he had no voice when it came to the Municipal Corporation charging its consumers at rates higher than the rates charged by the CPSU.

        Being a public representative, Mantriji was explained the rationale of increasing the rates of water. We even suggested to him a few options:-

1. He could order the State Govt to reduce the rates at which they supplied water to that prevailing 15 years ago and we would bring back the rates to Rs 4/- per month per household.
2. He could order the State Govt to supply water free of cost to the CPSU, and we would do the same to the downstream consumers.
3. He could get the an order issued by the Govt of India specifying at what rates the downstream consumers should be charged by the CPSU.

(May be the Govt would be kind enough to order the CPSU to not only supply water free of cost, but also give some money to the downstream consumers for the privilege accorded to the CPSU to supply water to them.)

          Honourable Mantriji told us, he would write to the State Govt and do whatever was required, even get the State Govt to reduce the water rates charged to us, but we must immediately withdraw the order increasing the water charges. We knew this was all bluff and bluster.

All this while, the local news media was having field day, vilifying the company in general and vilifying me in particular.  

        “निदेशक कार्मिक के तुगलकी फ़िरमान,” screamed The Local Newspapers. “How can the company raise the prices of drinking water by 3750%. If the rates of life sustaining water, is raised so drastically, people would be economically destroyed.

        “मंत्रीजी पीडिट जनता के लिए मुखर हुए।“ Mantriji has taken up the cause of the harassed public.

        Not once were the rates charged by the Municipal Corporation ever mentioned by the media, or that the Municipal Corporation did not pay one paisa to the State Government for the water supplied to it which it further supplied to its consumers and charged at rates higher than our increased charges.  Not once did they write that the CPSU was being charged higher rates by the State Govt for the water supplied, which we were supplying to the downstream consumers within the CPSU area and incurring losses. Remember that a number of local journalists were living in the CPSU area and were enjoying the near free supply of water, year after year.

        We stood by our decision, despite public demonstrations mostly organised by the Honourable Mantriji, bad press for the company and number of complaints written by all and sundry to the President, PM, Deptt of Heavy Industry, my effigies being burnt etc etc. In a wedding function, where I was invited along with my family, Mantriji and his “honourable camp followers” were also present. Even there I had no respite. One of the invitees, a local resident, went up to the Mantriji and started complaining, how her domestic finances had been totally disrupted by the increase in water charges even as the saree she was wearing would have cost upwards of Rs 5000/-. In all likelihood the complaint was orchestrated by Mantriji or his followers.

        Suddenly, out of the blue, one “public spirited gentleman” filed a PIL against the Company in the High Court for increasing the water charges by an unprecedented 3750 % and causing untold distress to the public at large.  

        That was a blessing in disguise for us. We made our submissions to the High Court in response to the PIL. Not only did the High Court dismiss the PIL, it also appreciated the reasonable and scientific manner in which we had applied the rates to various downstream consumers based on our cost. The High Court imposed a fine of Rs 25,000/- on the “public spirited gentleman” for filing a false and motivated PIL and waste the time of the High Court. Mantriji was left with egg on his face.

        That was the end of the vilification campaign against the company. The company stood firm and people started paying the increased water rates, no poor soul was economically destroyed which was of serious concern of the Honourable Mantriji. My reputation of being the Public Enemy No 1 however remained etched in the minds of the Mantriji.