April 9: The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority today declared that distribution of drinking water would not be handed over to any private company, allaying fears of a section of residents.

This was said in a meeting of GMDA officials with the members of Guwahati Sanmilita Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Mancha at its office. The members of the group demonstrated in front of GMDA office this morning against privatisation of drinking water and for repair all roads, which have been damaged to lay water pipes to implement a mega water supply scheme. They also decided to oppose the hike in urban property tax.

“There is absolutely no plan to hand over the distribution of drinking water to any private company,” said GMDA development officer Chandra Kamal Bhuyan to the representatives.

Besides Bhuyan, GMDA chairman Robin Bordoloi, managing director of Guwahati Jal Board Amit Sahai and GMDA chief executive officer M. Angamuthu met a 20-member delegation of residents which included several social activists like Hiren Gohain, Dhiren Barua, Benudhar Baruah, Dinesh Baishya, Ajay Dutta, Dwijen Bhattacharya, Kailash Sarma, Prafulla Mahanta and Khanin Deka.

The GMDA is implementing a Rs 3,000-crore water supply project to provide safe drinking water round the clock. Under the project, commissioning of water in the southwest zone of the city will be done by December this year, in North Guwahati by May 2015 and in South Guwahati by November 2015.

Bordoloi assured the delegates that there would be no water pipe laying activity till Bohag Bihu and they would repair as many damaged roads as possible before Bihu. “We will also repair the damaged roads. We will not be able to repair all the damaged roads but try to repair as many as we can,” said Bordoloi.

The Mancha also informed GMDA officials that if it failed to meet the demands of the citizens it would launch a movement all over the city. Secretary of the Mancha Akhil Ranjan Dutta said the memorandum submitted to the GMDA chairman has also been forwarded to chief minister Tarun Gogoi for information and appropriate action.

Dutta said it was agreed upon that GMDA would hold a series of consultations with the Mancha while preparing the draft rules on water regulation before submitting them to the government.

The Mancha appealed to residents to be vigilant and if required to come out onto the streets to resist the government’s move to privatise and commercialise water supply.