Bhubaneswar: Water ATMs introduced here with much fanfare have so far received a dud response from the people. The units are now lying in utter neglect, thanks to the apathy of the civic authorities.
These ATMs are largely lying unused thereby making it difficult to recover the maintenance cost.
Sources said the unwillingness of the citizens to draw water from the ATMs has watered down the efforts made by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to make the plan a success.
Water ATMs dispense certain units of water based on fixed costs vis-à-vis coins or exclusively designed water-ATM cards. About 40 such ATMs were installed across the city in 2016 with an objective to provide safe drinking water to the denizens.
According to sources, about Rs 7 crore was spent on installations of these machines in the city. To ensure that the machines are used extensively, the BMC made several attempts to promote them.
Initially, the BMC charged Rs 50 each for issuance of ATM cards but later made it free. However, the move yielded no results.
“I have no idea how the ATMs operate. Although I have seen people taking water from it occasionally, but I never bothered to use them. Besides most of my customers or passersby drink from the containers I have and the ATM lies there in dust,” said Shakti Das, who runs a fast-food shop near a water ATM in the city.
Several other ATMs meet the similar fate and are now left to rust.
Commenting on the BMC’s initial decision to privatise the water ATMs, water activist Debojit Ambaly opined that making it a paid service could have dissuaded many people from the service.
“If civic bodies start charging for water then whom would the common man turn to?” asked Ambaly. “In several judgements, the Supreme Court has stated that water is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution,” he added.
However, a senior official in the BMC said the charge was being levied to recover the basic maintenance costs of the ATMs, but eventually the charge was lifted to help everyone avail the facility.
On lack of interest among people, the official said, “We will soon launch awareness campaigns in this regard and the machines which haven’t been properly maintained will be given a total overhaul.”
PNN