Shimla, April 2(PTI) Consumers in the state capital and surrounding areas will have to shell out more for water consumption, as Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) has hiked the tariff by ten per cent.

The revised rates will be applicable to all consumer categories, including domestic, commercial and religious institutions.

As per the notification issued by the government, the tariff would be different for consumers within the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) area and outside the SMC area, officials said on Wednesday.

The revised water charges will be Rs 21.23 per kilo litre on 0-20 KL slab, Rs 36.61 per KL on 20-30 slab and Rs 69.89 for consumption above 30 Kl for consumers within the municipal limits. The minimum maintenance charges have been raised to Rs 121 per month while the faulty meter rate would be Rs 488.48 per month.

The tariff for consumers outside the SMC area would be Rs 48.31 for consumption up to 20Kl, followed by Rs 73.21 for 20-30 Kl slab and Rs 102.49 for above 30 kilo litres while the minimum maintenance charge for domestic water connections outside the limits of the Shimla MC will be Rs 242 per month. The faulty meter rate would be Rs 1,948.58 per month.

The charges per kilo litre for water supply connections for establishments like hotels and restaurants within and outside the SMC limits will be Rs 116.93 for consumption up to 20 Kl, Rs 155.88 for 30-75 Kl and Rs 214.34 for consumption above 75 Kl.

Further, Rs 242 per month will be charged in case of plugged connections and Rs 8,557.67 per month for faulty meters.

The charges for the commercial connections within and outside the SMC limits would be Rs 58.56 for consumption up to 20 KL, Rs 92.09 for 30 Kl, Rs 122.40 for 75 Kl and Rs 168.38 for above 75KL.

The revised tariff for government institutions, hospitals, Dharamshalas and religious places within and outside the SMC limits will be Rs 92.25 per KL and 30 per cent of the water bill for all categories will be charged as sewerage charges.

In addition, the tanker charges have been hiked to Rs 1,797 and Rs 1,331 for commercial and domestic consumers for tankers with 2,000 litres capacity and Rs 3,593 and Rs 2,662 will be charged for commercial and domestic use for tankers having 4,000 litre capacity.

The revised charges for a 6,000 litre capacity tanker would be Rs 3,993 for domestic use and Rs 5,390.55 for commercial use, the officials added. PTI BPL BAL BAL

Water tariff increase implements differentiated rates and a sewerage surcharge across municipal and non-municipal consumers. Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited revised water tariffs with slab-based per-kilolitre rates and separate schedules for consumers within and outside municipal limits, increased minimum maintenance and faulty-meter charges, imposed a thirty percent sewerage surcharge on all categories, and raised tanker, plugged-connection and ancillary fees, creating a layered pricing regime across domestic, commercial, hospitality and institutional connections.