No privatisation in water sector: Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Ruling out full privatisation in the water sector, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said the Government was open to private partnership in the construction of water treatment plants and supply of meters. Speaking at a national seminar organised by the CII on public-private participation in water sector, she ruled out its privatisation as had happened in power sector. However, she added we need private partnership in making water treatment plants, in preparing studies and in supplying good quality meters. Even if we are providing an average of 230 liters of water per capita per day, still we are wrong somewhere as there are enoromous differences in equitable distribution of water. The private sector can help this critical sector if they come up with good proposals, she said. The Government was also seriously considering a proposal to set up a water regulatory body which would look into all aspects of water charges in the capital region. The proposed regulator will be a quasi-judicial authority which will be responsible for determining water tariffs and other critical issues. I hope private sector may extend help in mobilising awareness about this initiative, she said. Admitting that there was no guaranteed supply of water in Delhi, Dikshit said her government was working on providing water round-the-clock within next couple of years. Participating in the seminar, speakers from CII stressed on the need to bring together all the stakeholders on a common platform to discuss and chalk out strategies for public private partnership as envisaged in the national water policy. The subject is absolutely important. Public-private participation is not privatisation. It is to share ideas. It is to bring in greater efficiency through greater participation by helping the consumers, CII President Sunil Kant Munjal said. He said private players would place their proposals about the water sector before the Government soon. The CII had also identified deteriorating physical and financial conditions, growing investment backlog and fiscal constraint of almost all the state governments as reasons enough for opening up of the sector for public-private partnership, Munjal said. We have identified the sector as a priority area. The participation of private sector is crucial to augment the existing system to cover the increasing population and to provide better quality service, said A Ramakrishna, Chairman of the CII National Committee on Water.

No privatisation in water sector: Dikshit

Ruling out full privatisation in the water sector, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said the Government was open to private partnership in the construction of water treatment plants and supply of meters.

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