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The initiative by the Rajasthan government to provide piped water connections to high-rise buildings in Jaipur and other cities has faced a lacklustre response. As of now, only five applications have been received by the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED). The slow uptake can be attributed to various factors, including the absence of water connections in certain areas and the financial challenges faced by residents in collecting the one-time connection charges. PHED officials, however, remain optimistic, stating that these are initial difficulties and expect the system to be streamlined in the future, with builders taking the lead in applying for connections.
Despite the state government's initiative to receive applications for piped water connections in high-rise buildings in Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan, officials from the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) have reported that they have received a mere five applications as of Monday evening. Anil Sharma, the superintendent engineer of the South division, and Ajay Singh Rathore, the superintendent engineer of the North division, have both confirmed this information.
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Sharma stated, "We have received a total of five applications as of Monday evening. These applications have been forwarded to field officers for inspections." Sharma's jurisdiction includes areas such as Mansarovar, Jyoti Nagar, C-scheme, Pratap Nagar, Malviya Nagar, Jagatpura, and Civil Lines, which have a significant number of high-rise buildings.
In contrast, the north division, which covers areas like Bani Park and Jhotwara, besides the Walled City, has not received any applications for high-rise water connections as of Monday evening, according to Rathore. He mentioned, "Under my division, there have been no applications for high-rise water connections so far.
According to officials from PHED and members of Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs), there are several reasons contributing to the low response from residential units.
One significant factor is that certain areas like Jhotwara, Jagatpura, Prithwiraj Nagar, and Pratap Nagar, which have a high concentration of high-rise buildings, do not yet have water connections provided by PHED. However, they assured that water connections would be extended to these areas in the coming months.
A PHED official mentioned, "Once the water connections are available in these areas, RWAs can proceed with their applications."
However, there is a significant number of high-rise buildings located outside of these areas. RWAs from areas where pipeline connections already exist have stated that they have not been able to apply for connections yet. This is because they have been unable to gather the entire amount required to be paid as a one-time charge.
"We intend to pay only 25% of the one-time connection charge. We calculated the amount accordingly and requested flat owners to contribute their share. However, we have not yet received the full amount," explained Shailendra Agarwal, a member of the RWA from Patrakar Colony in Mansarovar.
PHED officials acknowledged that these challenges are initial hurdles, particularly for buildings or complexes where builders have already handed over possession to the flat owners. However, they reassured that the system would be streamlined in the future.
One PHED official mentioned, "While the notification stated that either the builders or the RWAs are responsible for paying the one-time charges, many builders of under-construction properties have already started collecting these charges from the flat owners at the time of booking. Going forward, it is expected that builders will proactively apply for and arrange the water connections prior to handing over possession.
This story was earlier published by ET Realty
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