Mangaluru: The Karnataka government approved the reduction in water tariff in accordance with a proposal submitted by the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), confirmed mayor Premanand Shetty on Monday.

Shetty pointed out that the government had earlier rejected the proposal seeking a reduction in the water tariff. However, MCC submitted a proposal to the government again, underscoring the need to slash the price in the interests of the public. Members of the MCC Council had deliberated on the subject at a meeting convened in May. “The government has approved the resolution adopted by the MCC Council on May 31, and issued a circular to this effect,” the mayor said.

The resolution adopted by the MCC Council stipulated that the monthly tariff for 20,000 litres of water consumed by a household would be reduced from the existing Rs 140 to Rs 100.

Furthermore, tariff for each additional thousand litres of water used would be reduced to Rs 5 from the existing Rs 6 in the slab between 20,000 to 25,000 litres. For every 1,000 litres consumed beyond 25,000 litres, the tariff will be Rs 11, instead of Rs 14. “While the new tariff will reduce the financial burden on the general public, the MCC stands to gain financially from bills collected from institutions that use more than 70,000 litres a month,” said Shetty, adding that the new tariff would come into effect from August 1.