Report

2013

Conference on Water Privatization:

Learning from India and International Experiences
Venue: Indian Social Institute, New Delhi (INDIA)
Date: 19th March 2013 

Organised By:
Citizens Front for Water Democracy;
Focus on the Global South; PEACE;
Water Workers Alliance &
Delhi Journalist Association

EXECUTIVESUMMARY
The increasing trend of water privatisation has created a serious debate around the issue. While the
promotersofprivatesectorinvolvementinservicedeliveryandmanagementclaimthattheirinvolvement
leadstoimprovedresultsintheseareas,thoseagainsttheprivatisationshowthemanydisadvantagesof
privatisationwhichincludeslackofaccesstocleandrinkingwaterbyalargesectionofthesocietyorthe
commonmanandincreasedwaterbills,makingwateracommoditywhichneedstobepurchasedandno
longeraresponsibilityoftheStatetoensuretheprovisionofwaterforthecitizensofthecountry.
Inthiscontext,aConferenceonwaterprivatisationwasheldinNewDelhionMarch19,2013attheIndian
SocialInstitutetodiscussthechallengesandthenegativeoutcomesofwaterprivatisation.TheConference
was organised by the Cititzens Front for Water Democracy (CFWD), Focus on the Global South, PEACE,
Delhi Journalist Association, Water Sewer and Sewage Disposal Employees Union (WS&SDEU) and the
Water Workers Alliance. The Conference was attended by close to 300 participants and had experience
sharing by various water and social activists along with eminent political leaders and representatives of
ResidentWelfareAssociations(RWAs).
Some of the key points of deliberation were increasing commodification of water, lack of access,
unconstructive outcomes of private models, corruption and the importance of organisation formation to
confronttheseissueseffectively.
Theincreasingcommodificationofwaterhasputalargesectionofthesocietyinadisadvantagedposition.
Mr. Rajinder Sacchar,FormerChief JusticeofDelhiHigh Court in his speech pointsthatIndia,asper the
constitution is a socialist democratic republic which highlights the critical role of the government as a
welfareStateresponsiblefortheprovisionofbasicnecessitiestoitscitizens.Hepointedtoabreachoflaw
bythegovernmentscolludingwithprivateplayersintheprovisionandmanagementofwaterresourceson
groundsofefficiencyandbettermanagement.
Ms. Nirmala Sharma, a social activist on gender issues highlights the apathy of the State towards the
concernsofthecommonman.Shestressedthatearlierwaterwasavailableasacommonresourcetoall
but now it has become a commodity, which has to be purchased either from the government or private
companiesthroughbottledwaterorprivatetankers.Womenarefurtheraffectedbecausetheyhavetobe
physically present when water is supplied to households restricting their engagement in economic
activities.Furthermore,itiswomenwhohavetowalklongdistancestogetwaterforthefamily.
MuchofthediscussionofSession1focussedonsignificantconcernsrelatedtowaterasacommodityof
individualcompanies,StatesorevencountriesaspointedbyotherspeakerssuchasMr.VijayKranti,Senior
Journalist,Mr.PabloSolon,ExecutiveDirectorofFocusontheGlobalSouthandawateractivistsharedhis
experienceoffightingwaterprivatisationintheBoliviancitiesofCochabambaandLaPaz.Hestressedthe
importanceofawarenessamongpeopleregardingthisissueandgarneringtheirsupporttofightit.Inthe
two cities of Bolivia unending efforts were made to increase awareness amongst people regarding the
negativeimpactsofprivatisationandoncetheprivatesectormodelwasputinplace,peoplebegantosee
theimpactsandrevoltedagainstit.Ittookalongbattletofightthegovernmentandprivatecompaniesbut
in the end due to negotiations and resistance from the people, the government had to take back
[2]

privatisationofwaterinthesecities.Hehopesthatthroughtheeffortsofpeople,Indiaputsinactionthe
tenetofUnitedNationsConvention2010,whichstressesonwaterandothernaturalresourcesasarightof
thepeople.
Session 2 focussed on the next key component of discussion which was the lack of access to water, the
qualityandquantityofwatersuppliedandincreasedwaterbillsbecauseofthepublicprivatepartnership
(PPP)modelimplementedinafewStatesofIndianamelythe24x7Water.RepresentativesfromDelhiJal
Board(DJB),TradeUnionsandemployeesofwaterdepartmentsfromvariouscitiesinIndianarratedthe
problemsrelatedtowatersupplyandmanagementaftertheadoptionoftheprivatemodel.Thissession
showcased personal and group struggles that have been undertaken in different cities to fight water
privatisation.RepresentativefromNagpurMunicipalCorporation(NMC)EmployeesUnionhighlightfacts
that bring to debate the claim of efficiency by private companies. According to the data, water usage
insteadof coming downhas infactdoubled. Water tariffshavealsoincreased five times andleakagestill
persists.ThereasonforincreasingprivatisationisreflectedintheNationalWaterPolicy,whichhascreated
a national furore. Mr. Himanshu Thakkar speaking of this policy mentioned the struggle to reverse the
completeprivatisationofwaterinmanyStates.OtheractivistsfromHubli,Bangalore,Latur,Khandwacities
highlighttheirstrugglesundertakentoreversethemenaceofincreasedwaterbillsandpoorsupply.
Thenextsessionstressedonthecriticalaspectofcorruptionandpromotionofvestedinterestsofalimited
few involved in promotion of privatisation. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal from Aam Admi Party (AAP) believes the
currentwaterprivatisationmoveinDelhiisreflectiveofawatermafiawithcloselinkstopoliticalparties
and big corporate houses. While there is plenty of water available per individual as per Delhi Jal Board
figures,thegovernmenttopromoteprivatesectorandtomeettheirownpersonalagendascreatewater
shortageandshowrevenuedeficits.Lateron,privatecompaniesareprovidedrawwaterbytheState,use
Stateinfrastructurebutcollectrevenuesbasedontheirmanagementfeesandprofitmargins.Asaresult,
watertariffhasincreasedalmosteighteentimesinthelastnineyears.Mr.Kejriwalisofthefirmbeliefthat
privatisationisonlycreatingfurthercorruptionandpeoplemustcometogethertofightthissystem.
Eminentactivist,Ms.MedhaPatkarhighlightstheroleofInternationalFinancialInstitutions(IFIs)suchas
the World Bank and Asian Development Bank that demand the creation of independent private water
regulatory bodies and private sector management in order to receive funding, creating imposed
development. She also emphasis how people are made accustomed to drink only mineral and bottled
water, so that private companies can continue to make profit. Her urge is to fight this privatisation and
treat water as a natural resource over which the entire populace has a right. She urges to promote
communityownershipofwatermanagementandconservation.
The final session focuses on the importance of creating public sentiment on water issues and forming
organisations to fight against corruption and water privatisation in a systematic way. Mr. Sanjay Sharma
fromWater Workers Alliance revealed staggering factsand data on profits of privatecompanies and the
levels of water provision and consumption. Mr. Ashutosh Dixit, member of Urja Senate talks of an
organisationofRWAsacrossDelhiclaimingvictoryonvariousissuesconcerningthewelfareofpeople.All
thespeakerswereoftheopiniontoconsiderwaterasanaturalresourceandfightprivatisation.

[3]

AGENDA
ConferenceonWaterPrivatisation:LearningfromIndiaandInternationalExperiences
Tuesday,19thMarch2013
Venue:IndianSocialInstitute,10,InstitutionalArea,LodhiRoad(BehindSaiBabaTemple),NewDelhi
Organisedby:CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy;FocusontheGlobalSouth;PEACE;
DelhiJournalistAssociation,WS&SDEUandWaterWorkersAlliance

9.0009:30

Registration

09.3011.00

InauguralSession

Chair&Introduction: SANaqvi(CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy)
Inaugurationby
Retd.JusticeRajinderSacchar(Patron,WPCRC)
Speakers:

VijayKranti(EminentJournalist)
NirmalaSharma(JagritiMahilaSamiti)
PabloSolon(FocusontheGlobalSouth&FormerBolivian
AmbassadortotheUN)

11.0012:30

SessionI:IndianExperiencesinPublicPrivatePartnership(PPP)inWater

Chair:

NationalWaterPolicy2012:
Nagpur:

HubliDharwar:

Gulbarga:

Khandwa:

Latur:

Bangalore:

KiranShaheen(JournalistandActivist)
HimanshuThakkar(SouthAsiaNetworkonDams,Rivers&People)
JammuAnand(NMCEmployeesUnion)
RasoolNadaf(SlumJanandolanaKarnataka)
BabuRaoDandinkar(SlumJanandolanaKarnataka)
RehmatRawat(Manthan)&TarunMandloi
AshokGovindpurkar(LaturAntiWaterPrivatizationCommittee)
VinayBaindur(WaterActivistfromBangalore)
FollowedbyQ&A

12:3001:30

LUNCH

01:3003:00

SessionII:PoliticalOpiniononWaterasHumanRight:GovernanceandSocialIssues

Chair:

ArvindKejriwal
MedhaPatkar
Dr.AKArun

SANaqvi(CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy)
AamAdmiParty
NationalAllianceofPeoplesMovements
YuvaBharat
FollowedbyQ&A

03:0004:00

SessionIII:BenefitsandLossesofWaterPrivatisation:PossibleAlternatives
AnOpenDebate

Moderator&Chair:

RepresentativesfromPeoplesCampaign:

AfsarJafri(FocusontheGlobalSouth)
SanjaySharma(WaterWorkersAlliance)
SANaqvi(CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy)
AshutoshDixit(UrjaSenate)

04:0004:10

VoteofThanks:

RamPrakashSharma(WS&SDEU)

04:1004:30

TEA

04:1505:30

PressBriefing

[4]

THEREPORT
Introduction
Wateristheelixiroflife.Asanaturalresource,onemightperceiveittobeacommongood/propertybut
the recent past over the past two decades coinciding with spread of globalisation and neoliberalism has
evincedachangeinthepatternofproductionandconsumptionofwater.Thetransitionhasmadewater
moreofaprivatecommoditythanacommonresource.
Neoliberalism promotes laissez faire replacing State led development by market led development. In the
context of water, it translates the inclusion of private sector in water provision and service delivery on
groundsofincreasedefficiencyandhigherrevenuesforthesuppliers.Waterprivatisationisthusnotonly
aboutthebusinessofbuyingandsellinganaturalresourcebutalsoaboutreducingStatesinvolvementin
theprovisionofessential/basicservicessuchasfood,waterandhealth.
InternationalaidbasedonthediktatofInternationalFinancialInstitutions(IFIs)arepromotingprivatisation
byextendingfundsforthewatersectoronconditionsofincreasedprivatizationofwaterservicedelivery
andmanagement.Accordingtovariousestimates,aminimumofonepercentofGDPshouldbespenton
waterandsanitationfortheMDGs(UnitedNationsMillenniumDevelopmentGoals),howeverinIndiathe
overallpercentageofgovernmentspendinghasactuallyreducedfrom0.57percentin2008to0.45percent
in 2010 (Water Aid, 2011) and an increase in investments from the private sector towards water and
sanitation.
Whilethereareinstanceswhereprivatisationhasimprovedmanagementofservicedeliveryandenhanced
revenues of water departments, the issue of water availability, access and quality precedes any other
concern.Itisratherevidentthatwithmoreprivatisationwaterasacommodityhasbecomemoreexclusive.
Even the UN Special Rapporteur mentions that privatisation of government water and sanitation service
utilitiescanbeharmfultohumanrightsunlesspropersafeguardsareputinplacewhichensuresthatequity
inaccessismaintainedforevenlowincomeareas(Albuquerque,deCatarina,2012).
Thereisanincreasingapprehensionovertheissueofwaterexclusivityandsomeoftheseconcernswillbe
discussedbelowaspartoftheproceedingsofthemeetingonWaterPrivatisation:LearningfromNational
andInternationalExperiences.

INAUGURALSESSION
OpeningRemarksbyMr.SANaqvi,CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy(CFWD)
In his opening remarks, Mr. Naqvi outlined the increasing debate on water privatisation over the past
decade.Experiencesofwaterprivatisationespeciallyinpooranddisadvantagedcountriesinthepasthave
shownthatoverthelasthundredyearsthismodelhasfailedongroundsofexclusivityandincreasedtariff
base.Allimprovementsinwatersectorfocussedonlyonprivatisationwhichhasevincedfailure.
PrivatisationislargelypromotedundertheduressofIFIsandlobbiesofMultiNationalCompanies(MNCs).
In India, the Planning Commission responsible for fund allocation for development emphasises public

[5]

private participation (PPP) in most water projects. The role and scope of the model especially the
involvementoftheprivatesectoristheunderlinedtopicofdeliberationanddiscussionfortodaysmeeting.
Mostoftengovernmentclaimsthatbasicserviceswillbeprovidedtopeoplebyworkingwiththepeople,
togetherwiththeprivatesector.However,thisisameremythbecausetheinvolvementofpeopleisalmost
negligible.AccordingtoMr.Naqvi,thismodelsurreptitiouslyignorespeopleinthepublicaspect,includes
bigcorporateandMNCsintheprivateandinthegarbofpartnershipfocusesontheinternationalaidand
financecomingfromtheIFIs,thuscreatinganexusofpowerofthegovernment,corporateandtheIFIs.
Most water projects based on the PPP model only satiate the greed of this nexus rather than looking to
improvethedistributionofwateramongallsectionsofthesocietyequitably.InIndiacitiessuchasLatur,
Mysore,Hyderabad,Bangalore,Nagpurareamongafewwherethismodelhasbeenimplemented.
Thismeetingwilldiscussafewexperiencesfromthesecitiestounderstandthatwaysinwhichprivatisation
hasmadewayintothewatersectorinurbanIndiaandalsoputforthitsimpacts.Furthermore,itwillalso
examine social movements and campaigns that have attempted to reverse this process. This august
gatheringincludeswaterandsocialactivistsalongwithactivistsfromcitieswhereprivatisationofwaterhas
taken place, who will provide us with details of the negative impacts of privatisation and talk about the
strugglesofwhichtheyhavebeenapartofaimingtoreverseprivatisation.
Speaker1:Mr.VijayKranti,SeniorJournalist
Inhisaddress,Mr.Kranti,spokeofwaterissuesasaglobalconcernaffectingtheentirehumanity.Notonly
did he mention the ill effects of privatisation but also looked at the larger context of water grabbing by
private companies and also by different nations as their sovereign property over which they want to
exerciseexclusiverights.TheconcernforAsiaatthemomentisTibethesaidexplainingthatTibetisthe
roofoftheworldorthewatertankoftheworld,becauseithasmorethantenriversoriginatingfromthat
area.TheseriversflowtothirteencountriesofAsia,includingIndia,Pakistan,Laos,Cambodia,Bangladesh,
Myanmartonameafewprovidinglifesourceforagriculture,industriesanddrinkingwater.
In1949,ChinacapturedEastTurkistanandrenamedasitXinjiangandlatercapturedTibet.Thesetwoareas
contribute80%ofwaterbaseandaccountfor2/3rdofChinasmineralwealth.Withthecaptureofmajor
partsofTibetbyChina,thereexistsagravethreatofwatersupplytothesethirteenAsiancountries.The
issueofTibetisnotjustitsownpoliticalfightbuttheimpactofitscapturewillaffectalltheothercountries
ofAsiahementioned.Asperthenewwaterpolicy,Chinaintendstoimposeitssovereignpoweroverthe
riversbynotallowingothercountriesofAsiatoexertauthorityoverthewatersupplyorthecourseofthe
river originating from Tibet. They disagreed to the UN policy of 2010 and decide to use the water
originating from Tibet for the use of China first and then allow for the remaining water to flow to other
countries.
China built the Three Gorges Dam in 2008 with a capacity of 22 gigawatt for which 13 States and 1600
villageareaweredrowned.PeoplewererehabilitatedintheNorthandhence,infrastructureprovisionand
developmentofthis area is alsobecoming abigdemand. Now,theyarebuildingadamonBrahmaputra
River with a capacity of 48 gigawatt (six times as big as Bhakra dam) for development, especially the

[6]

northern region. The proponents of the dam construction mention that once the electricity is used for
China,theremainingwaterwillbeallowedtoflowtoothercountriessuchasIndia,Bangladeshetc.
This issue is grave for two reasons. Firstly, there will be very less water remaining in the river to be
supplied to India and Bangladesh once this new dam is made. Secondly, in case of a war like situation
betweenIndiaandChina,ifthewaterthatiscapturedinthedamisreleasedoutatonce,thentheentire
easternIndiaandBangladeshwillgetcompletelydrowned.
ItisalsopertinenttounderstandhowChinahasmanagedtoyielditspowersovertheentirecontinentand
havecreatedimmensewealththatallowsitUSD$635billionforwaterschemes.Historically,duringthe
ColdWarperiod,PresidentNixonoftheUSAinordertoarrestdevelopmentofthethenRussia,supported
Chinasdevelopmentduetoitskeystrategicgeographicposition.ThepeopleofChinawererehabilitated
andwereprovidedtechnologicaltrainingsforindustrialdevelopmentandopenedtradewiththem.After
the end of cold war, China developed very quickly and by the 1990s, it emerged as a one of the fastest
growingeconomiesjoiningtheleagueofothermajorAsiancountriessuchasSouthKoreaandJapanand
thesameChinahasbecomeaFrankensteinmonsterfortheUSAandfortheentireregionheexclaimed.
NowChinaisprovidingtechnologytosmallercountriesofAsiasuchasCambodiaandLaostobuilddams
butinturntheelectricitygeneratedisboughtbyChinaforitsowndevelopmentatamuchlowercost.The
reason for promoting development in China, their model of development has been discriminatory and
oppressive,sotheirownpeoplearenowbeginningtorevoltagainsttheirowngovernment.Therefore,in
ordertoresistanyuprising,theChinesegovernmentwantstoensureproperdevelopmentoftheareasuch
astheGobidesertbyprovidingbasicandgoodqualityinfrastructure.
Inconclusion,Mr.KrantiexplainedthatiftheissueofTibetsfreedomisnottakenasaprioritybytheAsian
countries,thenthefutureofAsiaisingravedangerifthewaterpolicesofChinaremainsthesame.They
will continue to extract every drop of water for their own development and leave the other countries,
dependentontheriversoriginatingfromTibet,highanddry.
Speaker2:Ms.NirmalaSharma(JagritiMahilaSamiti)
Inherspeech,Ms.NirmalaSharma,arenownedsocialactivistworkingongenderissuesbroughttoforethe
illeffects of privatisation especially forthemarginalisedandthe weaker sectionsofthe society, women.
Shementionedthateveryone,especiallywomenaresufferingexceptforaminorityof510percentofthe
population that have access to services and those who are largely associated with governments and big
corporates.ThecommonDelhiteissuffering.WhiletheDelhigovernmenthasauthorisedmanycolonies
but there is no water provision for them. Womens drudgery has particularly increased as they carry
buckets of water from tankers to their homes. The other side effects are their inability to join the
workforceastheyhavetobepresentatthetimeoftankerarrivalelsetheentiredaythefamilywouldnot
havewater.Inaddition,thisalsoaffectstheeducationoftheirchildrenduetolackoffunds.Additionally,
water bills have increased manifold and those who earn paltry amounts cannot afford it. Governments
dontsupportandprovidebasicnecessitiessuchasfoodandwatertotheverypopulationonwhomthey
aredependentfortheirelectoralvictory.

[7]

Anotherimportantreasonforthespreadofprivatesectorisduetothelackofclean,accessiblewaterand
an imposed addiction to bottled water. Earlier at every railway station, there were water tanks, hand
pumps and taps from where people had water but these days, no such small tanks or taps are available
fromwherewatercanbehad.Ithasbeenreplacedbybottledwaterandhasbeeningrainedinthemindsof
peopletoassociatebottledwaterwithpurityandcleanliness.Moreover,waterpurifiershavebecomea
bigbusiness.Anestimatesuggeststhatmorethan1crore(10Million)waterpurifiershavebeeninstalledin
Delhioverthelastfewyears.However,howdoesapoororalowermiddleincomepersonaffordawater
purifier?Allthattheygetisimpureandpollutedwatershesaid.Pollutionhasalsoincreasedbecauseofthe
extensive use of plastic and chemicals for treating and packaging of water bottles besides the ever
increasinguseofchemicalsaspartofindustrialwasteandagriculturalwaste.Therefore,thecommonman
inhisdailylifeissubjectedtothisdirtywaterbecausethegovernment,whoisresponsiblefortheprovision
ofbasicfacilities,areshirkingawayfromtheirresponsibilitiesbyoutsourcingwaterprovisiontotheprivate
sectorthatisonlyconcernedwithprofitmakingandhence,thosewhocanpaycanavailcleanwaterand
thosewhocannotarelefttosufferwithonlyincreasedwaterbills.
Inconclusion,Ms.Sharmaencouragespeopletomakegovernmentsmoreresponsibleanddiscouragethe
useofbottledwater.Waterisahumanrightandnopersonshouldbedevoidofit.Wemustextendour
support to those who are fighting against this privatisation of water and support the use of alternative
methodsthroughwhichwatercanbestoredandsupplied.Wemustworkforthecommonworkbecause
wearethebaseofthesociety.
Themarketsystemshouldnotbegiventhereinstocontrolwateranditmustnotbeabletodictatewhen
andhowmuchwateranindividualcanorshouldconsume.Themarketisnotanapolitical,asocialconcept.
Onthecontrary,marketsarecontrolledbyafewpowerfulpeople,whoseonlyagendaistomaximisetheir
profit and hence our struggle against this entire system of markets, private players must go on, so that
everyindividualhastheaccesstocleandrinkingwater.
Speaker3:Mr.PabloSolon(FocusontheGlobalSouth)
Mr.PabloSolonfromBoliviasharedhisinternationalexperienceofreversingprivatisationofwaterinthe
BoliviancitiesofLaPazandCochabamba.HestartedhisspeechbyexclaimingthatPrivatisationofwater
has been completely reversed in our country. There is no privatisation of water at all. The reason why
privatisationisrejectedisbecauseitsprimaryagendaisprofitnotwelfare.
Duetotheprimarygoalofenhancedprofits,allprivateenterprisesaimtoinvestlessandearnmoreprofit.
TalkingofCochabambacity,Mr.Solon mentionedthatevenbeforeprivatecompaniesweretotakeover
watersupplyandmanagement,watertariffincreasedbytheinexplicablefigureof300%.Thuspeoplecame
out in the open and opposed privatisation. People demanded to know why private companies were
investingusingtaxpayersmoney,andifsothenwhatwastheadvantageofhavingaprivatecompanytake
over.Secondly,peoplealsoobservedthatprivatecompaniesonlywantedtoinvestinareaswherepeople
couldaffordpayingtaxes.Theywerenotinterestedtoinvestinpoororslumareaswherepeoplecouldnot
payandhencetheywouldnotbeabletorecovertheircostsandmakeprofit.

[8]

InthecapitalcityofLaPazwhenpeople frompoorareascomplained aboutirregularityofwatersupply,

thentheprivatecompaniesofferedtogoonaPPPmodel,whereintheprivatecompanywillinvestinareas
wherepeoplecouldpayreturns.Inthoseareaswherepeoplecouldnotpay,theStatewasencouragedto
invest,whiletheprivatecompanywouldonlytakeoverthemanagement.However,peoplebelievedthatif
the Statewas investing, then why aprivate company should manage it,ifState was investing then State
municipalityshouldtakeoverthemanagement.
Theprivatesectorpretendedtofollowapropoorapproachbutinfactthepeoplewhocouldpaygotgood
service while those areas where people couldnt pay did not good services or clear water. This led to a
growing discontent among the people and they began to protest. So the first point of discontentment
againstprivatisationwasthatitwaspromotinginequalityamongthehavesandthehavenots.
Secondly,SUEZ,theprivateFrenchcompanythatwasawardedthecontractinheritedbasicinfrastructure
fromthemunicipalitysuchaswatertreatmentplant,damsandothersuchresources,whichweresqueezed
toamaximumtogenerategreaterrevenues,whilethecompanydidnotinvestinitatall.Afterthecontract
wasover,theinfrastructurewasleftinsuchapoorconditionthatitcouldnotbeusedagain.
Finally,inLaPazwhenpeoplerealisedthattheprivatecompanymadeUSD$3millionprofitannually,they
begantoponderthatifthesameprofitcouldbespentinthedevelopmentofpoorareasinsteadofgivingit
toaFrenchcompany,thedevelopmentoftheircountrywouldbegreater.Consequently,peopledecidedto
get together and organise themselves into a coordinated consortium, called coordinator of all
organisations that stood against water privatisation. People were made to realise that the problem of
waterwasnotlimitedtoafew.Itwasacommonproblemforallsectionsofthesocietybeittheindigenous
people,peasants,students,womenandworkingclass.Therefore,allorganisationsthatwantedtofightthis
privatisationincludingtradeunions,peasantorganisations,andstudentgroupscameunderthisumbrella
organisationandraisedonesloganwaterislife,anditcannotbeprivatised.
A campaign was developed to inform people in the neighbourhoods (similar to Residential Welfare
Associations) describing the ill effects of privatisation which included division among the society and the
largeprofitaccruingnatureofthesecompanieswithleastinvestmentfromtheirside.Oncethecampaign
and movement gained momentum, people organised themselves into small assemblies and gave
governmentanultimatumtorevokethecontractofprivatecompanies.Thegovernmentwasgivenafew
days to put this into action. We went through a democratic process and decided to vote for or against
privatisation.Theresultswereclear,peopledidnotwantprivatisation.However,thegovernmentdidnot
accept this referendum, so we did a blockade. All neighbourhoods stood up against the deregulation of
water services. All roads were closed and a fight with the army ensued. Some activists were killed in
CochabambabutfinallythecontractsoftheprivatecompanieswererevokedfirstinCochabambaandlater
inLaPaz.
Thisvictorygavearayofhopetothepeople.Slowlyallnaturalresourcesandessentialservicessuchasgas,
oilandallothernaturalresourceswerenationalised.Eventhegovernmentisnationalisedandtodaywe
have a president representing the majority (66 percent) of our population which is indigenous. The
constitutionisalsochangedandnonaturalresourcesuchaswater,oilcaneverbeprivatised.Therewillbe

[9]

communityownershipandmanagementofresources.Wewantedtodeclarewaterashumanrighttothe
outsideworld,soasanAmbassadortotheUnitedNation,Ialongwithmypartnersmadeacampaignto
getapprovalbytheUNforwaterasahumanrightthatcannotbecommodified.Weachievedthissuccess
in 2010, when UN Special Rapporteur mentions that privatization of government water and sanitation
service utilities can be harmful to human rights unless proper safeguards are put in place which ensures
thatequityinaccessismaintainedforevenlowincomeareas.Indiaagreedtothecharterbutcontinuesto
promoteprivatisationofwater.
Wehavetocontinuethefightagainstprivatisationbutalsofortherightsofwateritself.Waterassuchis
beingdestroyedbyclimatechange,internationalpolicyandbyconstructionofdams.Wehavetopreserve
the cycle of water if life has to sustain on the earth. In conclusion, Mr. Solon hopes that India is able to
continueandwintheirstruggleagainstwaterprivatisation.HeconcludedbysayingForbothwaterandfor
ourselves,wemustendwaterprivatisation.
Speaker4:Mr.RajinderSaccharFormerChiefJusticeofDelhiHighCourt
Mr. Sacchar has been a veteran activist and started the discussion by highlighting the injustices that has
engulfedoursocietyinmanydifferentforms.Incontextofwaterprivatisationhementionedthatasperthe
IndianconstitutionIndiaisSocialistRepublic.Anypersonwithapoliticaleconomybackgroundorevenwith
slighthonestywillunderstandthatprivatesectorcannotflourishinasocialistrepublic.EitherIndiaisnota
socialistrepublicorifitis,whichtheconstitutionstates,thenprivatisation,especiallyofnaturalresources
such as water is absolutely incorrect. Even the Supreme Court of India, has in many instances passed a
verdictthatnaturalresourcessuchasairandwaterareapublictrust,whichcannotbegiveninthehands
ofprivateownership.Theexactverdictreadsasfollowstheresourceslikeair,seawaterandforestshave
suchagreatimportanceforthepeopleasawholethatitwillbetotallyunjustifiedtomakethemsubjectto
private ownership. State has committed a breach of public trust by leasing these natural resources to
private companies. This decision has been repeated time and again because the government keeps
movingawayfromthisbasictenetthoughtheconstitutionclearlymentionsthatStateistrusteeofnatural
resourceswhichareofpublicuseandenjoyment.Publicisbeneficiaryofland,waterandair,andstatehas
theresponsibilitytoprotecttheseresources.
Thisincreaseinprivatisationisaresultofglobalisation,whichpromotesprivatisation.Hementionedthat
evennationalbanksareprivatised,becausetheyfollowUSpolicy.Furthermore,Indiaisalsokeentohave
privateornationalindustriestobeownedandmanagedbyprivatebanks.Thisprivatisationisalsogetting
extended to water. If India has agreed to United Nations Charter of Water as a human right, then
extensiveprivatisationmustbestopped.Accordingtohim,ifgovernmentdoesnotprotecthumanrights,
thenitmustnotstayinpower.Thegovernmentistryingtodeceivepublicinthenameofefficiencyand
better management. History is replete with cases of privatisation as a failed model. Examples of France,
VancouverandColumbiacanbementionedforreversingprivatisation.
He pointed out for the public to become more aware of the issue of privatisation. The government is
levying taxes and huge service charges on water consumption, which are in reality not even applicable.

[10]

Accordingly, in Delhi, water bills include service charges but no one is aware why a service charged is
levied?Weneedtounderstandthatwaterisourrightandwemustfightforourright.
Heraisedasloganthatwaterprivatisationmustbestopped.Ifgovernmentisincapableofprovidingbasic
facilitiessuchasdrinkingwatertothepoorandthecommonman,thenthatgovernmentdoesnotdeserve
tobeinpower.HecitedthecaseofSouthAfricawherethegovernmentgivesprovisionoffreedrinkingto
thepoorbutinthecaseofIndiawearenoteventreatedwellashumansbecauseourhumanrightsare
not guaranteed to us. He concluded by reminding us of our power as voters and we must exercise our
rightstopreserveourrights.Ifwemanagetoreverseprivatisation,itwillbeagreatvictoryforus.
QuestionandAnswer:
Among the audience, there was a question raised to Mr. Sacchar that if the constitution has so clearly
opposedprivatisationofnaturalresources,thenwouldthisprivatisationofwaternotaccounttocontempt
ofcourt?Mr.SaccharandMr.Naqviclarifiedthatapetitionhasalreadybeenfiledwiththeapexcourtbut
Mr. Sacchar was of the opinion that people must come together to fight this evil rather than being
completelydependentonthecourts.Whilethematterissubjudice,wemustmakeeveryefforttogarner
publicsupportagainstthisprivatisation.

SESSIONI
The second session was chaired by Ms. Kiran Shaheen a renowned journalist and activist. This session
focussed on experience sharing of people who have been involved in the implementation of PPP model
(addressedas24x7Water)whowoulddiscussthewaysinwhichthenegativeimpactsofprivatisationhas
affectedthecommonman.Inaddition,thissessionalsoshowcasedpersonalandgroupstrugglesthathave
beenundertakenbythespeakerstofightwaterprivatisationintheirownStates.Ms.Shaheenstartedthe
sessionbyclaimingthewaysinwhichnaturalresourceslikewater,gas,oilareslowlycomingunderprivate
ownership,veryshortlyourlifewillbecomeprivatisedwhichwilleventuallyrestrictourfreedom.Shethen
introducedthespeakersofthesession.
Speaker1:HimanshuThakkar(SouthAsiaNetworkonDams,RiversandPeople)
Mr. Thakkar has conducted research on dams and is a reputed water activist. He started the session by
talkingabout2012,RashtriyaJalNiti(NationalWaterPolicy),whichisyetnotfinalised.Accordingtohim
therewasanationalwatercouncilmeetingheldinDecember2012,whichwasattendedbyChiefMinisters
andotherrelevantminstersofStateandseniorbureaucratstodecidethewaterpolicyofIndia.Thedraft
policy document clearly stated that water must be privatised and the government should completely
withdrawfromwaterprovisionservices.Thedraftcameunderseriousscrutinybywateractivistsandwas
madepublicinJan2013.Asaresultofmanydiscussionsanddeliberationswemanagedtoputpressureon
thegovernmenttoreversetheclauseofgovernmentsnoninvolvementinwaterprovision.However,the
documentstillretainstheoptiontoimplementaPPPmodelinStateswhichconsideritalogicalapproach
tobeadoptedifwaterhastobeprovidedtoall.

[11]

The clause 12.3 of the draft document while on the one hand states that water resources should be
managedbythecommunityandinthenextparagraphittalksofthePPP.Thishighlightsthedubiousnature
ofthedocument.Thepointofcommunityownedandmanagedresourcesaremerelylipservice,thelarger
agendaistoplacatetheprivatesectorandadvanceprivatisationasmuchaspossiblehebelieves.Another
crucial aspect of the document is the way privatisation is promoted very tacitly and tactfully. In the
documentthereisaclauseforallStatestosetupawaterregulatoryauthority.Peopledonotassociatea
water regulatory authority with privatisation. However, private parties want no involvement of State in
water regulation or tariff setting. Therefore private companies are looking for the establishment of
independentwaterregulatoryauthorities,whichiswhyitismentionedinthedraftdocument.
ThisconceptofwaterregulationispromotedbytheWorldBank(WB)andisimplementedintheStateof
Maharashtra,whereWBisgivingloantothewatersector.Iftheconsequencesofregulationarecarefully
examined the failure of water regulation becomes rather noticeable. Since the formation of the water
regulationauthorityin2005,Maharashtrahaswitnessedthebiggestirrigationscamworthapproximately
Rs.75,000crores,wherethemoneyspentonirrigationhasincreasedmanifoldbutinrealitynotoneextra
acre of land has been irrigated.Secondly, Maharashtrasuffers theworst drought conditions.Though the
levelofprecipitation(intermsofmillilitres)hasnotbeenasbadaspreviousyearsbeforewaterregulation,
itstillsuffersfrommajordroughtconditionsbecauseofthewaterpolicyoftheState.Thirdly,Maharashtra
hasthebiggestandalmost40percentofthetotaldamsofIndia,yetthewatershortageissosevere.
AllthesefactsimpartcredencetothefactthefollowingtheWBpolicyprescriptionsmightnotbethebest
solution to manage water resources for the people of this country. Hence, we must resist the water
regulationauthority.Thewaterpolicyisnotthefirststepforprivatisation.In2005,undertheJawaharlal
NehruNationalUrbanRenewalMission(JNNURM)inthe11thFiveYearPlan,StatesweregivenRs.70,000
croresforurbanreformonconditionofadoptingthePPPmodelforwaterprovision.Both,therulingand
oppositionpartiesfavourthisprivatisation.HeconcludedbyreiteratingMr.Solonspointofsavingwater
andrivers,elselifewouldperish.
Speaker2:JammuAnand[NagpurMunicipalCorporation(NMC)EmployeesUnion]
Mr. Anand shared his experience and struggle against PPP model which is adopted in Nagpur city of
Maharashtra. In the first phase of water privatisation, 64 cities were selected for the pilot project called
Water24x7whichincludedNagpur.PriortotheimplementationofthisPPPmodel,anindependentaudit
wasundertakenbyaprivatefirmonwaterservicesinNagpur.Thefindingsofthisreportlaidgroundsfor
theadoptionofthePPPmodel.Whilethecredibilityofthisauditisstillobscure,thetwomajoroutcomesof
the report were firstly, that 50 percent water of Nagpur goes unaccounted and secondly 45percent of
watersupplygetswastedduetoleakage.
Thereportmentionedthatthewaterdepartmentwasineptinarrestingthesetwoproblems.Additionally,
theCorporationlackedpoliticalwilltoimprovethefunctioningandfinallythedepartmentwasrunninginto
loss.In2007,moneyspentbywaterdepartmentamountedtoRs.90crore,whereastherevenuegenerated
wasRs.50crore,makingitatotallossofRs.45crores.Tofillthisdeficitandtoimprovethemanagement,
the report recommended a JNNURM directed pilot of the PPP model in selected zones of Nagpur. At

[12]

present there are 10 zones in Nagpur of which Dharampet zone was selected to pilot this model. We
questionedthisdecisionbecauseifPPPwasananswertothecrisis,thenitshouldbetestedincrisisprone
areasinsteadofDharampet,whichhadtheleastrevenuelosses.However,oncloserexaminationitwas
soon realised that to achieve and showcase success of the PPP model, they chose to implement it in a
comparativelysaferzone,sothatthereisgreateracceptabilityforfurtherexpansion.
After 24x7, JNNURM claimed that people will get good quality of water. Secondly, water leakage will be
reducedbecauseofbettertechnologyandmanagement.Third,theurbanpoorwillbeprovidedwithbetter
waterandwaterservices.Additionally,ifwaterisavailableallthetime(24x7),peoplewontstore/hoard
andthereforethesupplywillincrease.Lastly,therewouldbeuninterruptedwatersupplyinthecity.They
also boasted that under the 24x7 water provision; water supply would promote equity unlike the earlier
waterprovisionsystemwhichwasinequitableongroundsofcasteandclassdifferences.AccordingtoMr.
Anandtheinterestingpointtoobserveisthatwhiletherewoulduninterruptedwatersupplyononehand,
ontheotherthosewhowillusemorewillgetmorewater.Intermsofcrosssubsidies,therichwillreceive
subsidisedwateronthecostofhigherpaidwaterbytheurbanpoor.
Theresultsofthepilotarenotencouraging.Analysesrepresentcertainfacts,givenbelow:

Inthedemozone,97MillionLitresperDay(MLD)waterissuppliedcurrentlyascomparedtothe
41MLDsuppliedbeforethismodelwasadopted.Oneoftheassurancesgivenwasthatwaterusage
willcomedownafter24x7modelisadoptedbecausewaterwillnotbestoredbutfactsheetshow
thattodayinsteadofwaterusagecomingdown,thesupplyhasinfactdoubled.

After switching over to 24x7, water tariff increased five times. It is claimed that revenues of the
waterdepartmenthasincreasedbutthisisbecausethetariffhasalsoincreased.

The assurance of leakage reduction is also not fulfilled. There are 17,000 new connections in all
householdsandconnectionsare100percentmetered.Eventhen30percentleakagestillpersists.If
all connections are changed and every drop of water is accounted for, then what explains this
30percentleakage?

Accordingtotheagreement,PPPmodelhadtoevincesuccessforfurtherreplicationandupscaling.
To achieve this, the modus operandi of the government was to award NMC for good
implementation even when hardly 40percent work was completed. By the time 70percent work
wascomplete,anotherawardwasaccorded.ThethirdawardreceivedisforthebestcitybyABP
channelonparameterssuchaspublictransport,liveablecityandfinallygreencitybutnomention
ofwatersupplyandmanagement.

ThePPPmodelwasadreamprojectofMr.NitinGadkarioftheBharatiyaJanataParty(BJP),though
thesamepartyopposewaterprivatisation in Delhi. The entire power nexus andvested interests
cameoutintheopenwhenNMCdecidedtoupscalethe24x7modeltotheentirecity.Earlierthe
contractforwatersupplyandmanagementwasgiventoFrenchcompanyVeolia,butwhenitcame
to spreading it to the entire city, the French company was pressurised to form a consortium,
through which a small company Vishwa Raj Environmental Private Limited (belonging to political
leaders) along with Veolia created a new company called Orange City. Today they are the sole
suppliersofwaterinthecity.
[13]

Itisevidentthatthereiscorruptioninvolvedinwaterprovisionandservicesunderthe24x7model.This
modelcannotbereplicatedinotherpartsofthecitybecauseitwouldrequiredoubletheamountofwater
thatisusedcurrentlyinNagpur.Secondly,allagreementsareinfavourofprivatecompanies.TodayNMC
expensesonwaterdepartmentisRs.213croresannually,ofwhichRs.78crorewillbepaidtotheoperator
against 250 MLD of water. All other expenses such as raw water, electricity, water treatment are to be
bornebytheNMC.Heconcludedbysayingthatitisnotawater24x7scheme;ratheritisloot24x7andwe
mustfightthis.
Speaker3:RasoolNadaf(SlumJanandolanSamiti,Hubli,Karnataka)
Mr. Nadaf spoke of the many challenges faced by the slum dwellers of HubliDharwad after the
implementation of the PPP model in the twin city. In 2005, the 24x7 water project was started in Hubli
Dharwad,andtheresponsibilityofwaterdistributionwashandedovertotheKarnatakaWaterSupplyand
DrainageBoard(KUWS&DB).Ofthetotal67wardsinthatarea,thismodelisimplementedin8wardsof
the twin city. Since the inception of this model, not only the water bills but our electricity bill has also
increased.
Forthoseareasunderthedemozonesfor24x7watersupply,thereisaconsiderableincreaseinwaterbills
which is quite unaffordable for us to pay. Also, we (slum dwellers) does not consume the same level of
waterastherich,sowedecidedtogoasagrouptoputourcaseforwardtotheStateofficer.Theofficerat
thewaterdepartmentrejectedourpleaandshruggedusoff.
InHubliDharwadtheminimummonthlycharge(forunmeteredwaterconnectionsaswellaswateruseof
lessthan10,000litres)wasfirstincreasedfromRs.45toRs.60in2005.InJune2007,tariffwasraisedfrom
Rs.60toRs.90withretroactiveeffectfromApril2006.Inthedemozone,wewerepromisedwaterata
minimum of Rs 90, but the bills began running high and today many households owe the companies Rs.
10,000 and more as they are unable to pay the high bills. Slum dwellers in these zones have received
notices from theWaterBoard (KUWS&DB)asking ustopay the water bills whichruns intothousandsof
rupeesorfacedisconnection.Morethan1500householdshavereceivedthebillsforRs10,000Rs20,000
each.Sincethetimethewaterboardtookoverwatersupplyin2005till2009,itdidnotsendanybills,now
itisaskingresidentstopaythearrearsandofferedtowaivetheinterestonarrears.Butweareunableto
paythearrearsandallourappealstotheauthoritieshadnothelped.
Wedecidedtofightthisprivatisationandstartedacampaigninformingpeopleofdifferentslumsandclose
by neighbourhoods about the perils of privatisation, which included increased bills even with less water
consumption.WeformedanorganisationandappealedtoBlockofficials.Withnopositiveresultsinsight,
weburntourbillsandsincethenhavenotpaidourwaterbills.Wehavebeenquestionedmanytimesbut
we always retort by asking the water officials how do they make a bill amounting to Rs. 1020,000 for a
slumdweller?Wealsotookoutpapersassociatedwith20wardsthroughRTIandsubmittedittotheZila
Officerandaskedhimtoseethebillofeveryindividual,whichamountedbetweenRs.10,000Rs.20,000.
Wealsoshowedouridentitycardstoprovethatwewereslumdwellersandtoreceiveandpaybillsworth
Rs.15,000waspreposterous.

[14]

After much discussion and several meetings with the private company and State officials, we were also
offeredreducedwaterbillsandtariffbuttheremainingamountofbillsremainedconsiderablyhigh,which
weneededtopayifwewantedwaterinourcolonies.Werefusedthisofferandorganisedmembersfrom
otherareasoftheregionandfromalloverKarnatakatorefusethe24x7waterfacility.Wewantedeight
hoursupplyofclearwaterandnotthis24x7watersupply.Thismodelextractedwaterfromallthenatural
resourcesavailabletothepoorsuchaspondsandborewells,leavingeverythingdryandsparingnooption
for us but to succumb to this plan. Our (HubliDharwad) population is over 8 lakhs (.8 million) which
requires0.8mcunitsbutevenwith24x7planthereisonly0.2mcunitofwateravailable.Theofficerssay
waterisstoredandonecanonlygetwater24x7iftheyjointheschemeandpaytheirbills.Thepointof
emphasisisthatthereisnoproperworkdoneunderPPPmodel.Theyarepressurisingustotakeupthis
model.Hequestionedthatifitistruethattheprivatecompaniesarespendingsomuchmoneythenwhy
istherenowaterintheslumareas?Accordingtohim,privatisationisonlyagimmicktoconvincepeople
forbetterwatersupplybutinfact,itiscreatingfurtherdividebetweentherichandpoor.
Speaker4:BaburaoDandinkar(SlumJanandolanSamiti,Gulbarga,Karnataka)
Gulbarga is on the MaharashtraKarnataka border. There are two rivers flowing in this area, one being
Benithera and the other, Bhima. In 2006, the Block officer conducted a meeting and told the local
populationandotherofficialsthattheyweregoingtoinvestinwaterforimprovedqualityandsupplyalong
with increased revenue. The officer said If we invest in 24x7 PPP model then it will benefit everyone.
Mostpeoplewerenotawareofthesystemandthepartypeopleagreedtothismodelexceptthemembers
ofCommunistPartyofIndia(CPM),whowerenotkeentohavethismodel.Evenintheslumarea,people
were not keen to have this 24x7 water scheme but they were convinced of the benefits and the private
companiesgotalocalNGOtotalkontheirbehalf.
As a result, people gave their consensus and in 2006, the 24x7 model was implemented. A meter was
installedineveryhomebutitstartedcountingevenbeforewaterstartedcomingfromthetaps.Asaresult,
waterbillswentuptoRs.2000buttherewashardlyanywater.Thepeoplefeltcheatedanddisheartened
withthisnewsystem.Consequently,wedecidedtostandagainstthisprivatisationmodel.
InGazipuraslum,waterconnectionwascutduetononpaymentofwaterbills.Wetriedtoputourcaseto
thecompaniesthatan individualearningRs.100perdaycannotaffordtopayRs.2000forwater,which
theydonotconsideracommodity.Weevengotthelocalpolicetointerveneonourbehalfinregardtothe
problemofwaterbills,buttheprivatecompaniescontinuedtocutthewatersupplytotheslumdwellersof
Gazipuratilltheyclearedtheirdues.Thecommonpublicisharassedinthenameof24x7watersupplybut
wehavecontinuedouragitationagainstitandarenotpayingbillsevennow.Heconcludedbysayingthat
PPP is a complete failure, especially when they make you believe it is a propoor initiative. It is all a
schemeby allgovernmentsandprivatecompanies,whowanttoearnmaximumprofitatthecostofthe
poorfarmer!

[15]

Speaker5:RehmatRawat(Manthan,MadhyaPradesh)
Mr.RehmatstartedthediscussionbyreiteratingMr.SachcharspointofIndiabeingasocialistrepublic.In
thesametune,inJulylastyear,theChiefMinisterofMadhyaPradesh,ShivrajSinghChauhanmadegrand
statementsinapublicgatheringaboutnotadoptingwaterprivatisationforMadhyaPradesh.However,in
realitythepictureonthegroundisverydifferent.InfactthismodelofPPPhasbeenadoptedin60cities.
UndertheJNNURMthereisanUrbanInfrastructureDevelopmentSchemesforSmallandMediumTowns
(UIDSSMT)thatisappliedtovarioustownsinMadhyaPradesh.Atpresentthisschemehasbeenadoptedin
60 cities and towns of MP. 47 cities of these 60 have adopted water schemes as part of the UIDSSMT
activitiesworthRs.990crore.KhandwaandShivpuribothhaveadoptedPPPmodel.Khandwaisthefirst
citywhichhasadoptedPPP.ItbecomespertinenttoexplaintheoldmodelofwatersystemofKhandwato
understandtheramificationsofthePPPmodel.
Khandwaisanoldcitywitha110yearsoldsystemofwatersupply.Watercomesthroughgravitywithout
the use of electricity. Even now the system works perfectly and according to CPHE reports the total
consumptionofwaterisnotmorethan10MLDforapopulationof2lakh.Averagerainfallsupplyensures
15 MLD, thus there is more water than required. However, even with a surplus availability of water, the
governmentisintendinganewwaterschemeforKhandwa.Awaterpipeof52kilometerslengthhasbeen
installed to provide water to the town. The scheme is worth Rs. 116 crore and the first bill that will be
raised,oncethisschemeisstartedwillamounttoRs.7.5croreascomparedtothecurrentbillestimateof
Rs. 3.5 crores. Based on todays discussions we can imagine the increase in water bills that the people
would have to endure. In addition, similar claims have been made about 24x7 water supply and good
qualitywaterbutwhenpeoplerealisedtheilleffectsofprivatisation,theyhavecometogethertoprotest
againstthissystem.
Anotherproblematicaspectisthecontractthatissignedforprivatisationofwaterutilities.Itisaperfect
remedytocompletelydestroythepublicservicesofthecity.Assoonasthiswillstart,theselfdependency
ofthecitywillbeover.Inthis150pagesdocument,itisclearlystatedthatonceprivatisationcommences,
watercannotbeaugmentedbyanyoneexceptforthecompany.Ifthereisatubewellinahouseandwater
levelgoesdownandaugmentationisrequired,itwillnotbeallowed.Anotherproblemisthatincaseofany
problem such as bursting of the pipe due to natural calamity, there will be no source of water for the
people of Khandwa for at least eight days, since all wells, ponds and other water bodies would be
completelydrieduporgrabbedbylandmafia.
InfactthreeoutofthefourprivatecompaniesoperatinginKhandwathemselvesbelievethatitwouldnot
bepracticaltoprivatisewater servicesandrevenueswouldnot berecovered.Itshouldjustbemanaged
better, subsidy should be provided for improvement yet the government is bent upon going for
privatisation. Most people are told that companies are professional and will be responsible for better
management of water services but in reality the company managing the account, is not competent. The
document of agreement was only a draft contract which was signed on and many technical details that
weretobeincorporatedhavenotbeendone.Thisshowsthecallousnessofthegovernmentwithregards
totheselectionofprivatecompanytomanagethiswork.

[16]

Inconclusion,Mr.RehmatmentionedthateventhoughtheHonChiefMinisterproclaimedthathewould
notletwaterbeprivatisedinMadhyaPradeshinhislifetimehassignedanagreementwiththeWorldBank
foranewChiefMinsterschemeaftertheendofUIDSSMTforanamountofRs.2000crore.Inthisscheme,
privatisationwillstartfromthebeginninginsteadofatrialperiodinordertoappeasetheWorldBank.
Speaker6:AshokGovindpurkar(LaturAntiWaterPrivatisationCommittee)
Mr. Govindpurkar started by highlighting that Latur is politically a very sensitive area. Many leaders hail
fromLaturdistrict.In1985,hebecameacorporatorattheLaturMunicipalCorporationandgotassociated
withJanataDalPartybutwhenprivatisationstartedin2006,theygottoknowthatwaterlossesshouldbe
given to MJB (government municipality) for better water management but as soon as Mr. Vilasrao
Deshmukh became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, he was convinced of privatising water supply for
increased efficiency. Based on the tenders submitted, a Delhi based company named SPML was handed
over the charge to manage water services in Latur. This decision to hand over the MJB to this specific
privatecompanyforaperiodof10yearswastakenbytheCMdirectlyandtoopposeitwasunfathomable.
No one stood up against privatisation. It took great effort from his side to generate awareness among
peopleabouttheilleffectsofprivatisation andtostandagainst privatisationof MJB.This includedpress
conferenceandinteractionswithseniorjournalists.Withsomesupporttheytriedtopetitioninthecourts
andalsocarriedoutsocialmobilisation.However,itwasonlywiththechangeinthegovernmentthatthey
werefinallyabletoreversethisdecision.
The fight against privatisation was carried out in three phases. In the first phase they informed people
about the agreement between MJB and SPML wherein investment would be carried out by Municipal
Corporationandtheloantakenfrombankswouldalsobepaidbythecorporation.However,tariffswould
bedecidedbythecompany,sotheMJBwouldbeanswerabletothepeoplebuthavenoauthorityoverthe
management and tariff setting. Finally people began to realise the problems with privatisation and most
governmentparties supportedtheircampaignagainstprivatisationexcepttheCongress.Theydistributed
pamphletsintemplesandmosqueswhichstatedthepositiveandnegativeaspectsofprivatisationtohelp
peoplemakeinformedchoiceonthissubject.
Afterthecampaigngainedmomentum,Mr.VilasraoDeshmukh,theChiefMinisterofMaharashtra,finally
agreed to have a meeting with us to discuss a strategy for cooperation. However, the Company did not
wanttomakeanyadjustmentandwerenotleavingmuchoptionforthepeoplebuttoacceptprivatisation.
As a result, tariff increased by three times. People had to pay Rs. 2400 instead of Rs. 800.Privatisation
startedintheCMsareabutwhenpeoplegotincreasedwaterbills,theyrealisedthattheyweredeceived
by the big claims made by the companies with regards to clean and continuous water and finally they
joinedthecampaignagainstprivatisation.AftertheCMchanged,wecontinuedourcampaignanditisthe
people who have to decide for or against this system. For any political struggle we need the support of
peopleinsteadofthecourts.
In2010,oncetheCorporationwasformed,ithadtomakeanewagreementwiththecompany.Theydid
notaccepttheagreementandalsoresistedtheinstallationofmetersandadoptedcompletedefianceby
not paying water bills. They blamed the company for not being able to provide water, which was their
responsibility.Thecompanywasalsorunningatalossbecausemeterscouldnotbeinstalled.Astalemate
[17]

followedandaftertheCorporationelection,privatisationbecamethemostimportanttopicofdiscussion.
Before the Vidhan Sabha (State Legislature) elections, Mr. Deshmukh personally came to Latur and
withdrewsupporttotheprivatecompany.Thishappenedduetotheirpoliticalstruggleandtodaytheyare
giving water without private company involvement. Mr. Govindpurkar concluded by saying I am very
proudofourstruggleandallweneedistocreatepublicsentimentsagainstsuchevilsandthegovernment
willhavetotakebacksuchmeasuresofprivatisation.
Speaker7:VinayBaindur(WaterActivist,Bangalore)
Mr. Baindur critiqued the concept of world class cities, which he believes is the garb through which
governments and private sector collude to earn maximum profits by exploiting the common man.
Accordingtohimactiviststruggleshaveshownthatgovernmenthasreachedanimpassebestdescribedas
policyparalyses.Manypoliticalpartiesblamewrongpoliciesforinefficiency,butitistheoppositionto
the policies which is slowing down the implementation of policies. This is an integrated view of global
forces, government, private sector, banks and other lobbies that infrastructure dependent economic
growthispushingforcreationoflobbiesineverysector.Theselobbiesareinfluencedandintegratedwith
international lobbies and get promoted and integrated in the infrastructure development schemes of
developingcountriesbymakingcommonmassesbelievethatourcitieswouldbemadeworldclasscities
withtheintroductionofprivateservicesforbasicnecessitiesastheirefficiencyandmanagementskillsare
farsuperior.
TheWorldBankandtheJNNURMindirectlypromotelobbiesthroughinfrastructuredevelopmentprojects.
Itisacommonmantrachantedbyallpoliticiansandprivatecompanies.Thenotionofworldclasscitiesis
promoted with services such as railway metro, 24x7 water and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) almost
becomingsynonymouswithaworldclasscity.
However,duetomanypeoplesstrugglesindifferentpartsofthecountryagainstforeigninvestmentand
interventionespeciallyinthecaseofwaterprivatisation,thecentralwaterpolicyof24x7waterisbeing
challenged by thirteen State governments leading to the nonadoption of water policy. In his concluding
remarks,Mr.Baindurisofthebeliefthereisnoneedforwaterprivatisationinourcitiesorevenunderthe
currentconstitutionalframework/regime.Therefore,Centralgovernmenthasappointedachairpersonfor
14 Central Financial Commissions and one of the leading aspects of the commission would be to de
politicisewater.HebelieveswemustopposetheworldclasscitiesconceptinwhichtheStateisreducingits
spending on public welfare services including health, education, water and social protection, and
promotingprivatisationandlobbiesforonlyprofitmaking.
Speaker8:KiranShaheen(JournalistandActivist)
Toconcludethesession,Ms.Shaheen,thechair,triedtosummariseafewmajorpointsofthissession.Mr.
HimanshuandMr.Sachcharremindedusthewaysinwhichourfreedomisgettingconstrainedandbasic
necessitiessuchaswater,landandoilarecommodifiedandmadeintomarketorientedgoodsthatneedto
beboughtandsold.Thisisanindicationofdissolutionofoursocialsystemandhumanrights.

IfIndiaclaimstobeademocracy,thenwemustpassthelitmustestoftransparency,participation
andaccountability.Theseaspectsareahallmarkofanyfunctionaldemocracy.Unfortunately,India
does not come close to any of these parameters especially in the case of water democracy.
[18]

Furthermore,evenaftersigningtheUNconventionin2010,wherebywaterisahumanrightand
cannot be privatised, the government is still continuously promoting privatisation, which is also
unconstitutional.

The implementation of water policy through privatisation is showing major loopholes on the
groundintheprovisionofdrinkingwatertothepoorestofpoor.

TheconceptofPPPislargelymisused.Thepublicwhichshouldideallyrepresenttheinterestofits
peopleisinrealitynotdoingso.Onlythevestedinterestsofafewpoliticalleadersareupheld.

Our struggle needs to be politicised and could be short term, medium term and long term
dependingontheconditionoffieldreality.

Foreigncompaniescanbeusedfortechnicalexpertisebutcannotbehandedovertheentireright
tomanageandrunit.

There is a 350 percent increase in water tariffs. Since 200911, all infrastructure works have not
necessarilyledtowatersupplyincreaseorwastewatermanagement.Onlyinfrastructurewasbuilt
based on which corporate sector decided tariffs, amount of water supply to different areas and
rateatwhichwaterwillbesold.Intheend,thereisnocluehowwaterisgoingtoreachthepoorof
ournation.

SESSIONII
Session 3 was chaired by Mr. SA Naqvi focussing on the political opinion on water as a human right.
EminentspeakersofthesessionwereMr.ArvindKejriwaloftheAamAdmiParty,Ms.MedhaPatkar,social
activistfromNationalAllianceofPeoplesMovementgavearealitycheckonissuesofwaterandraiseda
slogan against water capture and privatisation, followed by Dr. A.K. Arun from Yuva Bharat providing
insightsintheformulationoforganisationsandsoundstrategiestoconfronttheproblemsofprivatisation.
Speaker1:ArvindKejriwal(Leader,AamAdmiParty)
Mr. Kejriwal flagged critical issues regarding water provision in Delhi. He mentioned that in the last nine
years, the water rates have increased by a phenomenal 18 times. In 2004, a middle class family with a
consumptionof45kilolitrespermonthpaidRs.64aswaterbill.Nowthesamefamily,withthesamelevel
ofconsumptionhastopayRs.1355.Thisinflationinwaterpricesisverydisturbingandproblematicfora
middleclassfamilyhesaid.
Inthelastoneandahalfmonths,hispartyhasconducted51VidhanSabhameetings.Theonemajorissue
thatdominatesthediscussionisthatofincreasingwaterbillswithoutincreasedsupplyofwater.Allmajor
politicalpartiesmakegrandclaimstoprovidewatertoeachandeverycityandvillageofIndiabutifthe
governmenthasbeenineptinmeetingthedailyneedsofthecapitalcityforwater,howaretheydreaming
of equitable water distributiontoallcities and villages he questioned. He wentontorevealthat public
figuresshowthat840milliongallonsperday(MGD)isavailabletoDelhiwithapopulationof1.5crores.If
wedividewateravailablewiththepopulation,then250litresofwaterisavailableperday,percapita.
ThisamountofwaterissufficienttomeetthedailyrequirementsofeachandeveryindividualofDelhi.A
comparison to England and Germanys per litre per capita availability makes this point even clearer. In
[19]

England,thereis150litrespercapitaperdayavailabilityofwaterandinGermanytheamountis130litres.
Eventhen,thereisinterruptedand24x7availabilityofwaterforthepeople.ThenwhyinthecaseofDelhi
whichgets250litrespercapitaperdaythereissuchashortfall?
According to State officials, this is because more than 50 percent of water is leaked. In that case if 420
MGD leaks, then Delhi would be flooded. To further counter the argument, underground leakage is
attributedtothecause.However,evenonthataccount,theunderwatertablemustincreaseifthereisso
muchleakageundergroundbutthatisalsonottrue,andfinallyevenif50percentwaterisleaking,there
shouldstillbe125litresavailablepercapitaperday,whichissufficientbasedonthecomparisonwithother
international cities. However, if none of this is currently happening in the city, then where exactly is the
watergoing?
He affirms there is water shortage in the city, yet private tankers always have water available. This is
reflective of a water mafia with close links to political parties and big corporate houses of Delhi. He is
personallyawarethatifapollingboothreflectsvotingforanothercandidatethanthecurrentleader/party,
thenthewatersupplyiscutfromthatarea.Thus,theissueofwaterisinfactapoliticalmatterheconfirms.
Vested interest and large profits are the reason for privatisation of water without care for the common
manortheaamadmi.

The levelof water corruption is staggering. Anexampleof SoniaViharwas discussed, where Ms.
ShielaDikshit,ChiefMinisterofDelhiinstalledaFrenchmachineforcleaningrawwater.(Setupa
water treatment plant of 140 MGD to treat water and contract was given to a French company
Degremont France in the year 2000). According to official data when 90 MGD is pumped for
cleaning,itgivesout140MGDofwater.Thegovernmentsaysthat140MGDisrealisedbutthrough
theRTI(InformationsoughtbyCFWD).Itwasfoundthatonly85MGDisreleasedfromthemachine
andtherestofMGDofwaterisputforbogusbill.Ongettingthisinformation,theCMorderedto
changethepipelinesoftheareablamingtheshortfallonleakage.AnamountofRs.516crorewas
allotted forpipe repairing tothesame private company but therewas no need for it.This is the
wayataxpayersmoneygetseatenupbyprivatecompaniesinconjunctionwiththegovernment.
InNangloi,rawwaterandelectricitywasprovidedforfreetothecompany,whichwouldtreatthe
water, supply it and collect bills. This work takes Rs. 4.60 per kilo litres with the DJB but
government is giving private companies Rs. 15 for the same. Consequently, water bills are
increasing.

Mr.Kejriwalisofthefirmbeliefthatprivatisationisonlycreatingfurthercorruption.Firstthepublicsector
(government) was considered corrupt so privatisation was increased to counter the same, but in fact
privatisationmademattersworse.Weneedtotrustthepeopleofthiscountryandworkonacommunity
ownedandmanagedmodelintherightspirit.Hequestionwhyprivatecompaniesareneededoncewater
isputinthemachine.Aftertheinput,waterwillflowthroughpipesonitsown.Companiesarekeptonlyfor
collectionofbillswhichcanalsobedonebypeoplewardwisethroughRWAinsteadofaFrenchcompany.
Itisevidentthatpublicandprivatecolludeagainstthecommonpeopletoservetheirowneconomicand
politicalinterests.Boringwellsarealsopoliticised,waterisgivenaccordingtovotingandthosewhovote
againstrulingpartyasincaseoftankerswillnotgetwater.Inconclusion,Mr.Kejriwalemphasisedthatfor
[20]

thisstruggletosucceed,theCFWDmustprepareacomprehensivedraftwaterpolicyforDelhiwhichmust
becirculatedtopeopletohavetheirinputandthenfinallyimplementthepolicy.Heiscompletelyagainst
water privatisation and would not support the entry of private companies in either the provision or
managementofwater.
Speaker2:MedhaPatkar(NationalAllianceofPeoplesMovements)
Ms.Patkarstartedbydiscussinghowmanyactivitiesaretakingplaceinthecountrywhichareagainstthe
democraticvisionofthecountryandconstitutionalrightsofthepeople.Sheurgedthatwemustalluniteto
findholisticsolutionstoreversetheimpactsofimposeddevelopment.Intermsofwater,sheexplained
that in our part of the world, water is venerated and has a unique place in our lives because a large
population is dependent on natural resources. In our culture we preserve water for future generations.
Water concerns are not only limited to climate change, it is reflected in our life with the idea of
conservation.
Much of this tradition has been altered with the spread of industrialisation, capitalism and globalisation.
Water,likeothernaturalresourcessuchasairandlandiscommodified,dependentonthemarketsystem,
thebasisofwhichisprofitmakingnotsocialwelfare.Shehighlightedthevariousformsofdiscrimination
thathaveexistedinthepastandevennowwhenitcomestoequitablewaterdistribution.Duetocastesim,
water distribution is controlled by the Brahmins and not given to other castes. Discrimination also takes
placeongroundsofclass,casteandgender.Thiscontrolofwaterwithahandfulofpeopleiswrong,water
shouldbeprovidedtoeachandeveryoneandourstruggleshouldbefocussedtowardsthisonly.
Atthegrassrootslevel,theconstitutionunderlist11clearlymentionstheprocessofwaterdistributionand
managementthroughmicroandmacrosheddevelopmentplansbutthisdoeshappeninaccordancetothe
saidconstitutionalprovisions.Controloverwater,asanaturalresourceisincreasinglygettingcentralised
alongwithothernaturalresourcessuchasoilandgasthatarecapturedbyfewindividualsmakingprofits
outofitandusingitexclusivelyforthemselves.ExamplesofbigcorporatehousessuchastheAmbanisand
Jindals capturing natural resources are well known. Even the Rs. 560,000 crore scheme of joining major
riversiscomingacrossasamediumthroughwhichriverwaterandrivercouldbepurchased.
Ifwewanttoprotectourrivers,theneffectivewatermanagementandconservationhastostartfromthe
source of the river up till the valleys not just by building dams on it to use the river for development
purposes,theresultsofwhicharealsoinequitable.Sheexplainedthatjustasrainfalldoesnotdiscriminate;
waterfromriversandothernaturalwaterbodiesareanaturalresourceandshouldbemadeavailableto
everyone.However,throughconstructionofdamswateriscapturedandafterformingacentralisedwater
body,thestalwartsofgovernmentmadeitavailabletobigcompaniesandundertheiraegisstartedselling
waterinabigway.Ifwaterfromdamsisdecentralisedandgiventotherightpeoplesuchasagriculturists
and common masses for genuine development, the picture of development that will be created shall be
trulybeautifulandhopeful.
Whenitcomestoundergroundwater,datarevealsthatprivatecompaniesaregettingmineralwaterat24
paisaalitrewhichisthentreatedandsoldtousasmineralwaterforanexorbitantprice.Moreover,people
aremadeaccustomedtodrinkonlymineralandbottledwater,sothatprivatecompaniescancontinueto
[21]

makeprofit.Notjustahabit,drinkingmineralwaterisalsoamatterofstatusnowadays.Asaresult,evena
wagelabourwouldliketoacceptitasasymbolofstatus.Thisisadreadfulsituationbecauseatonelevelit
is destroying the social fabric of our community by creating inequality among those who can and who
cannotaffordwaterandsecondly privatisationof undergroundwater is destroyingthenatural resources
basewhichtakesmillionsofyearstoreplenish.Wemustuseundergroundwaterforthedevelopmentof
theareawherethewaterisoriginating.Thiswillleadtomoresounddevelopment,andcasesofdrought
canbereversed,insteadofcentralisingtheuseofundergroundwaterandfewcorporatesdeciding,when,
whereandhowmuchwatershallbesuppliedtowhicharea.Ifwewantourcommunitiestobeselfreliant,
theymusthaveaccesstowaterthatisnaturallyavailabletothem.Inadditionsimpletechniqueshavetobe
developedforwaterutilisation.
Tofightthiscentralisationofwater,wemusthavevillagedevelopmentplansthataimtodecentralisewater
so local water can be used locally. Though Planning Commission (PC) has made provision for villages to
submit their plans but it never happens and then PC along with IFIs such as World Bank or Asian
Development Bank through mediators (NGOs or companies) convince and squeeze the resources of the
village people by making them believe that the development plans made for them are very good but in
realitytheyarebeinglootedinthenameofdevelopment.
Water is being privatised in the name of development and efficiency giving way to many national and
international companies to use natural resources recklessly. Examples of many small rivers and ponds
drying up are rife in regions where water is privatised. Privatisation is also promoted by influencing the
intelligentsia against the government on grounds of corruption and inefficiency. As a result, the
governmentisalsofindingacomfortzoneingivingupitsresponsibilitiesandoutsourcingworktoprivate
companiesandagenciesaftersecuringtheirprofits.
We need to fight this privatisation and strengthen our self dependence and not get habituated to
outsourcing managementofour naturalresourcesshe believes.Forthis, wemustorganiseour struggle
sectorwisebecausetheIFIshavechangedtheirpolicyfromfundingspecificprojectsinspecificstatestoa
more sector wide approach. In doing so, they are wielding more power with less responsibility by
influencingnationalpoliciesandlawsintheirfavourandtakingcreditofgoodmanagementandsettingup
of infrastructure. But when there is a problem they claim to have made lesser investment than the
governmentandhencetheresponsibilityofanyfailurelieswiththegovernment,whomustimprovetheir
governance standards. In the guise of welfare and development they are taking control over the natural
resourcesandinfluencingpolicyintheirfavour.Anotherexampleofsectorbasedapproachisthesettingup
of the Delhi Mumbai industrial corridor where 70 percent agricultural land will be taken over and
convertedtoindustrialarea.
Inthecaseofwater,privatecompanies are alsorevokingthe Britishdroughtmanualwhereby incaseof
watershortage,waterwouldberationedfordrinking,thenforagricultureandfinallyindustries.Thisisnot
being followed, especially in drought prone areas and most often water is first given for industrial
development.Insuchascase,shequestionedhowwilltheneedsofthepoorbemet?Thecommonmanis

[22]

themajority,butinthisnewsystemofprivatisation,onlytheneedsoftherichare addressed,whilethe
poorislefttolanguish.
Sheconcludedbyaffirmingtheneedtoorganiseourselvesandstruggleinabottomupapproachtofight
practicallyandpoliticallyandtheneedtoformacollectivetoopposethiscommodificationofournatural
resources.
Speaker3:Dr.AKArun(SocialActivistfromYuvaBharatandFounderMemberofCFWD)
Dr.Arunexplainedthedynamicsofprivatisationandwaystokeepthemomentumofthestrugglegoing.
Weneedtofightrighttilltheendandthatisthebiggestchallengehementioned.Accordingtohimthe
changesthathaveoccurredsince liberalisationandthesigning ofGATT in1991 arethe keytoguideour
struggle.Heelaboratedthatin1991,therewasageneralconsensustoprivatisewatersupplyandin2010
theUNresolutionconsideredwaterasahumanrightandapublicproperty.Weoftengetcaughtupinthe
contrastingnatureofdebatesregardingtheseissues,asaresultofwhich,wearenotabletosustainour
strugglerighttilltheend.
TheissueofwaterprivatisationislargerthanjustDelhi.Acloseexaminationofareasabundantwithnatural
resourcesarenowdriedupbecauseinthenameofservingtheinterestsofthemiddleclass,government
andprivatecompanieshaveoverexploitedthenaturalresourcesleadingtothedryingofwaterreserves.
HealsotriedtoexplaintheprofitmakingnatureofprivatecompaniesbycitingtheexampleofTapookra
villageinAlwardistrictofRajasthan,whereontherequestofpeopleagainstthesettingupofliquorfactory
inAlwar,CFWDwerecalledandsuccessfullymanagedtostopthesame.
After15yearsthesameplacenowhasawaterplant.Thisisthedifferencewehavetounderstand.The
investorsdecidedtoputupwaterplantinsteadofaliquorfactorybecausetheywereassuredofprofitsif
theysetupawaterplant.Thisexhibitsthebasicpremiseofprivatisation,whichistoearnmaximumprofits.
Theproductisnotimportantfortheprivateinvestors;itisthelevelofprofitthatisimportantforthem.If
wewanttofightwehavetochangetheattitudeandmindsetofpeopletowardswater,wecantchangethe
companyorblamethegovernment.Privatisationhasbeenentrenchedinthemindsofpeopleintrinsically,
sowehavetochangethemindset.Inwaterpolitics,everyone(government,privatecompaniesandfew
individuals)ishandinglove,soweneedtorepoliticisetheissueofwater.
Wehavenootherchoicethantofight.Privatisationisspreadasacommonidiomandisbeingenjoyedby
people for the services offered. Community and peoples ownership can only happen if there is a
communityleft.Nowadays,theconceptofcommunityandsocietyisnotleftanymore.Everythingismore
individualisedandcommunityisunderstoodinlimitedtermssuchaspanchayatsandsmallorganisations.
Sotohavecommunityownershipweneedtopreservethecommunityandsocietyfirst,wealsoneedto
educatepeopleandteachtheimportanceandmannerstowardswater.Inaddition,getinvolvedinwater
politicsandkeepthestrugglegoingon.

[23]

SESSIONIII
ThelastsessionwaschairedbyMr.AfsarJafriofFocusontheGlobalSouthandhademinentspeakerssuch
as Ashutosh Dixit, Member Urja Senate, and Mr. Sanjay Sharma from Water Workers Alliance and
concluding remarks from Mr. Ram Prakash Sharma (President of Water Sewer and Sewage Disposal
EmployeesUnion)
Speaker1:SanjaySharma(WaterWorkersAlliance)
Mr. Sharma; presented shocking data about Delhis privatisation story making both the private company
andgovernmentofficialsculpableofdeceivingthecommonmanandswindlingtheexchequer.Hebeganby
mentioning that all governments complain that water is less and makes people believe that there is less
water.Thetruthishoweverdifferent. The governmenttohidetheirincapabilityaredeceivingpeople.In
Delhi,thetotalamountofwaterthatcanbetreatedperdayis850MGD.TheDJBproduces850MGDper
day.In agallonthere are 4.54 litres of water and when multipliedby850mgd, Delhi gets 3,84,53,80,000
litreseveryday.IfwedividethelitresbythepopulationofDelhi(1.7crores)itequals227litresperperson
perday.AccordingtotheCentralPublicHealthandEnvironmentalEngineeringOrganisation(CPHEEO)an
individualneeds135150litreswaterperperson.If150litresismultipliedbythepopulationofDelhi,the
requirementwouldbe2,55,00,00,000litres.Thisshowsanexcessof156crorelitresinDelhiperday,then
howisthereawatershortage?Therecanbereasonsattributedtothis.Theseare:
1. Delhihasleakagesorwateriswasted.
2. Thereisanartificialshortagecreatedbygovernment,orthereisprobleminthenumbersgivenby
DJB.
3. OrwaterinDelhiisdistributedininequitablemanner.
If we take the first option, Delhi government says 50 percent leakage but documents and studies show
otherwise.Everyconsultanthasgivendifferentdatavaryingfrom3060percentonaccountNRWtoshow
losses.So,ifthereis50percent(200crorelitre)leakage,thenunderwatertableshouldincreaseorDelhi
shouldbeflooded.
Ifwetakethesecondoption,thenwatershortageiscreatedbygovernmentsandprivatecompanies.How
is water shortage created? Example of Sonia Vihar would bring this point into perspective. The private
companyknewthatMalviyaNagar(zone23ofSouthDelhi)wouldbeprivatised.Thiscompanywouldtake
overthedistributionandrevenuenetwork,sotheplantdeliberatelyshowedshortageofwateravailability
so that water provision could be handed to a private company for increased efficiency and revenue
generation.Manyimportantquestionsriseinthisregard.Theplantcantreat168MGDwhenrawwateris
given48MGDittreats138MGDbutevenwhen152MGDrawwaterisgivenitstilldoesnotgive140MGD;
itgivestreatedwaterof110MGD.Wheredoesthewatergo?WhydoestheCompanyfabricateproduction
data?
We have photographs revealing that water is cleaned through chemicals. Test results show that these
chemicalsleadtoAlzheimersdisease.AtDJBsbottlingplantLab,residualaluminahasbeenfoundhigher
than prescribed limits. To check the quality of water every district needs laboratories, which are not
available. In Delhi there are only 5 laboratories, so there is no proper quality monitoring. Even in places
[24]

wheretheyareavailablethelabsworkforonly8hoursadayandwateriscleanedtwentyfourhours,so
thereportscannotbetakenasageneralstandard.
ThelastimportantpointofdiscussionisthatifentireDelhiisprivatised,whowouldbeaffectedmost?To
understandthis,weconductedastudyofNangloiprivatisationandMalviyaNagarprivatisationtofindout
the costs. If entire Delhi water is privatised then average cost, for treatment of water, distribution and
collection of revenue will be around 6.2 crores per MGD, At this time total cost of water treatment,
distribution andcollection ofrevenue byprivateoperator may cost atotal ofRs. 5000crore. In addition
sewagecostandmiscellaneouscostswillcostanotherRs.5000croremakingtotalofRs.10,000croreifDJB
isprivatised.ThisamountwillberecoveredfromthepublicinDelhithroughtheirbillswhichwouldcome
out to be Rs. 6700 per person. He concluded by saying, this is the reality that will happen shortly if
privatisationwillbecarriedout.IsDelhireadyforthis?Howwilllowermiddleclassandmillionsofpeople
paythisamount?Thesequestionshavetobeansweredandthesequestionsandconcernsshouldguide
ourstruggle.
Speaker2:AshutoshDixit(Member,UrjaSenate)
Mr. Dixit highlighted the importance of creating public sentiment for water issues just as there is public
sentiment for reservation or land acquisition. According to him this public sentiment is missing from our
struggle.Peopleareyetnotassociatingwiththiscause.Additionally,heemphasisedtheimportanceof
formingorganisations.Hecitedtheexampleofcorruptionwherebycorruptionhasanetwork,peopleand
machinerytobe exercised. This is lacking inthe case ofanticorruption, whichhasno systematic wayto
fight corruption. In order to do this, we all have to unite on this issue and an organisation with proper
machineryandnetworkstospreadouractivitiesandadvocacymoresystematically.
Sporadicactivitiesandadvocacycampaignswillnotyieldtheresults,wearehopingfor,itwillhappenonly
when there is an organisation to do the same. He spoke of the Urja Senate which has formed an
organisation of RWAs across Delhi and have claimed victory on various issues concerning the welfare of
people.
He reiterated that there is a need to deconstruct some of the concepts and notions relating to water
privatisationforourstruggletobefruitful.Theseareasbelow:
1. Theconceptof24x7ortheslogandilmangemoreisnotapartofourtraditionallexicon.Itisa
westernconceptwhichisimbibedinourminds.Thereisnorequirementof24x7watersupplyin
oursocietyandinanycasewaterisstored,ifnotinourhomes,thenwiththetankercompanies.
2. Thereismajoremphasisonthetermefficiencyinrelationtoprivatisation.Whatdoesitmean?It
means minimum resource with maximum delivery. In case of water privatisation however, if you
buy more and pay more also, then it is not efficiency which is what the situation currently is as
mentioned by several speakers today. Water and electricity are utilities (natural monopoly) not
goods and services and if one company is in charge or supply and management, then how to
measureefficiency?
3. Inthecaseofelectricity,itwasmentionedthatonceelectricityisprivatised,therateswillreduce
because stealing will reduce, leading to reduced per capita cost but what has happened? 40
percent reduction is electricity theft leading to Rs. 4000 crore profit to the private company. In
[25]

addition,electricitycostandtariffincreased,plusthecompanygainedamonopolyandfinallygota
bailoutpackage.Thisisnotefficiency.
4. Mostoftenthegovernmentisapathetictowardsthegeneralpublicandthisisthereasonwhysuch
highlevelofcorruptionistakingplace.
5. Conservation effort is an important factor also. Conserving water is part of our culture and our
sources of water generation are different be it rain type, glaciers etc are all geographically very
differentfromtheWest.Ifwaterisprivatised,thenwecannotconserveitbecauseitisnotunder
ourcontrol.Thereasonforouradoptionofforeignmodelsisbecausethereislessparticipationand
ownershipofpeopleandgovernmentresultinginthehandingoverofchargetotheprivatesector.
6. Regulatory function of private companies is always emphasised but the principles of regulation
shouldbeevolvedaccordingtoourconditionsandnotaccordingtoforeigntechniques.Mostoften
theregulators are the bureaucrats,civil servants andState officials, soregulationcommissionon
electricityandnotasingleauditofanelectricitycompanyisdonetilldate.Thecompaniesdecide
theratesandthegovernmentacceptsitwithoutanyaudit.
In conclusion he emphasised the role of an organisation to keep the struggle going on in a practical and
intelligentway.
Discussion
1. TarunMandloifromKhandwaraisedaquestionaboutraisingawarenessofthepublic.Tothis,Mr.
Dixitreplied thatprivatisationmaynotbestopped, butmustmakepeople awareof someofthe
issues highlighted above. Another important aspect is to strengthen the organisations to fight
privatisation.
2. No standardisation of water because no labs in all districts, so people are not aware if they are
treatedwater.Howtoensurethatqualitymonitoringisachieved?Therewasadiscussiononthis
topic and most people agreed that Delhi must have more laboratories and should be open to
qualitycontrolmeasures.
3. Finally, in order to organise people and movements, there was a request for CFWD to organise
more workshops of this nature and also partner with RWAs to spread the message and
informationregardingprivatisation.
Attheendofthemeeting,Mr.RamPrakashSharmagavethevoteofthanksto,countrywideactivists,
DJB union and people from Delhi and abroad for their support. He mentioned that part of DJB is
preparedtoacceptanychallengeofthegovernment.HetalkedoftheNangloiwaterprivatisationcase.
In2003thisplantwastreatingwater1720MGD;whichhadtobefinallyreversedandgivenbackto
theDJBin200506andnowDJBprovides41MGDwatereverydayagainstitsinstalledcapacityi.e.40
MGD.Nowonceagainin2013NagloiWTP(WaterTreatmentPlant)beinghandedovertoaFrancebase
private company. Sewage treatment plants (STP) are better than any private companys treatment
plant and DJB can be trusted to supply good quality of water. The only hindrance is the excessive
corruption and collusion between politicians, private companies and influential personalities. He
mentioned that 90 percent of all tankers belong to politicians. He concluded the session and the
meetingbyofferingtostandupandsupporteveryindividualorgroupwhoarereadytostruggleagainst
privatisationofwaterandpromisedtofightrighttilltheendtonotletDJBbeprivatised.
[26]

MEDIACOVERAGE

WaterprivatisationisnotforIndia:SmritiKakRamachandran
TheHindu,NewDelhi,Published:March20,201300:00IST|Updated:March20,201305:01IST
Apex court specifies that air, water, sea and forests cannot be with private sector. A social republic like
Indiacannothavewaterinprivateownershipanddenythecitizenstheirrighttoqualitywaterataffordable
prices,saidJusticeRajinderSacharhereonTuesday,criticisingtheDelhiGovernmentsmovetoundertake
three publicprivate partnership projects in the city. Speaking at a conference on Water Privatisation:
Learning from India and International Experiences, Justice Sachar said: There is nothing above the
Constitution.ThePreamblesaysIndiaisasecular,socialist,Republicandhandingoverownershipofwater
to private companies is cheating the Constitution.He said the Government is obliged to adhere to the
SupremeCourtguidelinesthathavespecifiedseveraltimesthatair,water,seaandforestscannotbeunder
privateownership.HedisapprovedoftheDelhiGovernmentsmovetoropeinprivatecompaniesfordoing
workthatistheStatesresponsibility.RebuttingtheGovernmentclaimsthatPPPwillusherinchangesin
thewatersector,JammuAnand,anemployeeoftheNagpurMunicipalCorporationEmployeesUnion,cited
the example of Nagpur where privatisation and the promise of 24x7 water supply has not shown any
positive results. Before the privatisation exercise the Government claimed there were 50 per cent non
revenuewaterand45percentleakages.TheysaidtheGovernmentisinafinancialcrisis,notcapableof
arrestingthesefaultsandthemunicipalitydoesnothavethepoliticalwilltodoso.Todaytheleakagesare
still30percentandnooneknowswhy,hesaid.Mr.AnandsaidtheGovernmentshrewdlychoseaplace
forthepilotprojectinNagpurthatdidnothaveamajorwaterproblem.Alsospeakingattheconference
organisedbytheCitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy,FocusontheGlobalSouth,PEACE,DelhiJournalists
Association, WS&SDEU and Water Workers Alliance, Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on
Dams, Rivers & People said the move to have a Water Resources Regulatory Authority that will among
otherthingsservetodecidethetariffsneedstobeopposedaswell.PPPsarebeingencouraged,hesaid,
addingtheonlystateinIndiawhichhasawaterregulatoryauthorityisMaharashtra,whereithasbeena
failure. PostIndependence the biggest water scam is in Maharashtra where Rs.75,000crore has been
shownspentonirrigationinthepast10yearsbutinrealitynotonehectarehasbeenirrigated,hesaid.
S.A. Naqvi of the Citizens Front for Water Democracy said despite evidence of privatisation not being a
success globally, India is keen on moving ahead with privatisation in almost all sectors from energy to
water.Privatisationisafailedmodel,yetIndiaispushingforwardstowardsit.TheGovernment,itseems,
isdistancingitselffromitsresponsibility.
Link:http://www.thehindu.com/todayspaper/tpnational/tpnewdelhi/waterprivatisationisnotfor
india/article4528156.ece
=====================================================

[27]

Bolivianactivistshareshiswaterprivatisationwar
Wednesday,March20,2013NiveditaKhandekar,HindustanTimes
NewDelhi,March19,2013FirstPublished:23:49IST(19/3/2013)
The year 2000 changed the fate of Bolivia, a South American country. The slogan Water is life You
cannot privatise life reverberated the city during the blockage. Students, housewives, teachers and
workershitthestreetsofCochabambaandLaPazcities.Theywereprotestingtheprivatisationofwater
servicesafteractivistsexplainedhowtheprivatecompanyhadhikedthetariffby300%andearnedaprofit
of USD 300 million per year. In April 2000, the water contract was finally terminated. After water, we
stoppedtheprivatisationofnaturalresources.WethenchangedtheconstitutionWatercanneverbe
privatisedanditshouldbemanagedbythestatewiththehelpofcommunities,recountedPabloSolon,
from Bolivia, on Tuesday. In 2010, it was Solon as a Bolivian Ambassador to the UN, who moved the
resolutionidentifyingwaterasabasichumanrightandthatitcannotbeprivatised.Indiaisasignatorytoit.
Boliviachangedtheconstitution.(But),thepreambleoftheIndianConstitutionsaysweareasovereign
socialist republic. If we are a socialist country, how can you privatise water? It means treason with the
constitution,pointedout JusticeRajinderSachchar.Solon andSachcharwerespeakingatanantiwater
privatisation conference where activists from cities across India that have witnessed 24X7 water supply
under the public private partnership (PPP) shared their experiences. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has
embarkedonthree24X7pilotprojectsunderthePPPmodel.JammuAnand(Nagpur),RasoolNadaf(Hubli
Dharwad), Gaurav Dwivedi and Rehmat (Khandwa), Vinay Baindur (Bengaluru), Baburao Dandinkar
(Gulbarga) and Ashok Govindpurkar (Latur) shared experiences from their municipalities water
privatisation projects.Govindpurkar has led a successful fight for remunicipalisationof waterservices at
Latur,thehometownofformerMaharashtrachiefministerVilasraoDeshmukh.
Link:http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/1029057.aspx
=================================================================

Waterprivatisationplanslammed
19March2013Statesmannewsservices
NEWDELHI,19MARCH:
TheDelhigovernment'sambitiousplantoprivatisewaterdistributionhasbroughtwrathfromsocialrights
activistsatafunctionintheCapitaltoday."Sincethepastoneyear,thestategovernmenthasdecidedtogo
ahead with the plans of privatisation as PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) model. The pilot projects were
designatedinareaslikeMalviyaNagar,SoniyaViharandNangloiathighercostthanestimatedtoextend
financial benefits to private parties," alleged Mr SA Naqvi, Coordinator of Citizen's Front for Water
Democracy. According to an activist, in September 2012, the government of Delhi approved the
privatisationofitsmanagementinsomeareas,sanctionedbytheDelhiJalBoard(DJB),inSouthDelhias
pilot project amid protests of RWAs. The Malviya Nagar area was handed over to a consortium of Infra
while the Tahal Consulting Engineers and the Israel's Hagihon Jerusalem Water and Waste Water Works
wereawardedtheMehrauliandVasantViharareasrespectively.Intheentireprocess,theRWAswerenot
[28]

consultedeventhoughtheDelhigovernmentclaimedthatitdidso.InOctober2012,theDJBgaveformal
approvalforrevampingwatersupplyinareasundertheNangloiwatertreatmentplantinwestDelhiunder
thePPPmodel.AsocialactivistandmemberofNationalAllianceofPeoplesMovementhasalsosharedher
grievanceonprivatisationofwaterinDelhi.Shesaid:"Privatisationis'realthreat'andnotjustimaginedas
thegovernmentwantsitscitizenstobelievethatwateris acommoditytopurchaseby sellingitsnatural
sources toprivatecompaniesandthe example isbottledwater.PPP in a wayhas been introduced in an
acceptableformtothecitizensanditishightimeforastrongcitizen'smovementagainstprivatisationof
water."
Link:http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&show=archive&id=4484
29&catid=95&year=2013&month=03&day=20&Itemid=66

==================================================================

Activistslaunchgrouptocreatepublicawarenessonwaterrights
NiveditaKhandekar,HindustanTimesNewDelhi,March22,2013FirstPublished:00:24IST(22/3/2013)|
LastUpdated:00:26IST(22/3/2013)
In the wake of the fact that 35 cities across India have partially or fully launched water privatisation
projects,activistsandwaterworkershaveformedagroupNationalCoalitionAgainstWaterPrivatisation
tolaunchapublicawarenessprogrammeonwaterrights.Delhihasalreadyembarkedonthreepilotwater
privatisationprojects.Convincedthatcorruptionwasthemaindrivingforcebehindthegovernmentsmove
toprivatisewaterinthegarbofpublicprivatepartnership(PPP)models,activistsfromasmanyas37cities,
NGO representatives and water workers unions held a meeting to discuss the role of civil society and
activists in preventing privatisation of water. Full or partial, the water sector in more than 35 cities has
beenprivatisedandeffortsareontogoaheadwithsimilarschemesinanother80cities.Weplantolaunch
aprotestcampaignthroughoutIndiaasactivistsandNGOsfromacrossthecountryarekeentofightitout,
said Afsar Jafri of Focus on Global South. SA Naqvi of Citizens Front for Water Democracy alleged that
people are paying for corruption visvis privatisation in terms of enhanced tariff without getting any
service.Despitepeoplesopposition,governmentsacrossthecountryareforcingprivatisationagendaon
thepublic.Therearevariousgroupsindifferentcitiesraisingvoiceagainstwaterprivatisationanditistime
nowtounite,SanjaySharmaofWaterWorkersAlliancesaid.
Link:http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indianews/NewDelhi/Activistslaunchgrouptocreatepublic
awarenessonwaterrights/Article11030197.aspx

[29]

INVITE
TheCitizensFrontforWaterDemocracyandFocusontheGlobalSouthinpartnershipwithPEACE,Delhi
Journalist Association and Water Workers Alliance invites you for a one day conference on Water
Privatization: Learning from India and International Experiences on 19 March (Tuesday) 2013, at Indian
SocialInstitute,10,InstitutionalArea,LodhiRoad(BehindSaiBabaTemple)inNewDelhi,startingat9.30
amtill5.30pm.
Today,waterhasbecomeascarceresourceandithasbeenpredictedthatwaterscarcecountrieswillbe
facing hydrological poverty if actions are not taken urgently. In order to avert this disaster, the national
governmentsinpartnershipwiththeWorldBankandthetransnationalwatercorporationhavedesigneda
new mechanism, the Public Private Partnership (PPP), which would make water rather a more scarce
commodity and will be available to those who can afford it. The model would be based on the fullcost
pricingofwater,anditwillbequiteapainfuladjustmentforhumanity.Butfornewcustodiansofwater,
thisisasmallpricetopayforwatersecurity,fortheirguardianshipofourmostpreciousresource.
PublicPrivatePartnerships(PPPs)isgainingtobeafavoredformofintroducingtheprivatesectorinwater
supply.ThePPPmodelofprivatizationofbasicresourceshasfuelledanewdebateonwaterprivatization
not only in India but globally. India is also promoting PPPs in water despite being a signatory to the UN
Resolution of2010which recognizesrighttowaterasa humanright.InIndia,the PPPsin watersector
have been promoted by the Central Government and various state governments have also implemented
theminurbancentreslikeHubliDharwad(Karnataka)andNagpur(Maharashtra).
InDelhi,theDelhiJalBoard(DJB)isimplementingthreepilotprojectsonthePPPbasisandhasintroduced
a number of reforms including outsourcing of meter reading and billing, privatisation of tanker water
supplyandtheappointmentofthreespecialmagistratestodealwithcasesofunauthoriseduseofwater
inthepastoneyearmakingwaterprivatizationarealthreat.
GiventhecurrentwaveofprivatizationprojectsthroughPPPsinIndia,CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy
and Focus on the Global South in partnership with PEACE and Delhi Journalist Association and Water
WorkersAllianceisorganizingadayConferencetodiscussaboutthePPPmodelinwatersectorinIndiaand
tolearnfromstateandregionalexperiencesandplanstrategiestoprotectwaterasacommongoodwhich
cannotbeprivatisedorcommodified.Givenyourexpertiseinthisfield,wewouldliketoinviteyoutojoin
thismeetingandshareyourthoughtsandexperiences.
Wewouldrequestyoutopleaseconfirmyourparticipationattheearliestandemailthefilledin
RegistrationFormtoMansiSharma(+919818809018)atmansi@focusweb.org.
Lookingforwardtoyourconfirmationattheearliest.
Kindregards,
SANaqviandAfsarJafri
OnbehalfoftheOrganisers

[30]

ConceptNote

The debate on water privatization is fraught with many issues not only in India but globally also.
Proponents of privatization argue that water should be viewed as an economic good and hence
commoditised.Sinceonlyrecentlyin2010,theUNrecognisedtherighttowaterasahumanrighttowhich
India was a signatory, privatization had already made huge inroads in the water sector. Privatisation
supportersmostoftenbringintheargumentofinefficientserviceprovisionwhichhasledgovernmentsto
promote privatization partly or wholly. This has been the case in India too wherein the argument of
increasing the efficiency and financial sustainability of the water supply utility by reduction of Non
RevenueWater(NRW)hasbeenbroughtinbythegovernmentwhofindsolutionsininvolvingtheprivate
sectorinvariousways.

PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs) is gaining to be yet another favored form of introducing the private
sector in water supply. They have been promoted by the central government and various state
governments have implemented them in urban centres like Delhi, HubliDharwad (Karnataka), Nagpur
(Maharashtra) and other cities. The recently revised National Water Policy 2012 also foresees the
minimisationofthegovernmentsroleinwaterservicesandpromotestheinvolvementofprivateparties
throughthePPPmodel,encouragingthecommercializationofwaterservices.EventhoughinIndia,water
is a State subject i.e. it falls under the purview of the State government, policies at the national level
impinge and impact policies at the federal level. The overall policy environment of liberalization,
privatizationandglobalization(LPG)onlyincreasesthemomentumofprivatization.
DespitebeingstronglypromotedinthepolicyarenaandimplementedinseveralcountriesintheSouthin
the1990s,privatizationhasachievedneitherthescalenorbenefitsanticipated.Ratherprivatizationhasnot
beensuccessfulandfailedtoreachthepoorandmarginalizedincountriessuchasPhilippines,Indonesia,
Malaysia,Bolivia.Theironyoftheprevailingsituationinthecountryisthatwhereononehand,countries
likeFrance,Uruguay,SouthAfricaarehandingovertheirprivatisedwaterutilitiesbacktothegovernment
orremunicipalising,Indiaispushingforprivatization.Waterprivatizationisnotonlyaboutthebusinessof
buyingandsellinganaturalresourcebutalsoaboutthestateslowlywithdrawingfromthesocialsectoror
in other words cutting down the states involvement in the provision of essential/basic services such as
food,water,healthandhousing.Wateristhebasisoflifeandpartofthefundamentalrighttolifeunder
Article21oftheIndianConstitution.However,inaneoliberalenvironment,itisseenasaneconomicgood
ratherthanasocialgood.
Movementsandcampaignsagainstwaterprivatizationhaveplayednotonlyaneffectiverolebutalsohave
succeeded in stopping and stalling the process of privatization as exemplified by the water wars in
Cochabamba, Bolivia. Even in India, campaigns against water privatization have managed to stall the
processofprivatizationinDelhiin2005andsimilarlyinMumbaiin2007.Itiscrucialtounderstandfrom
international countries how they have succeeded in fighting the forces of privatization such as in South
Africa,Bolivia, Malaysia, Uruguay and searchfor alternatives. Importantlessons from States inIndia that
[31]

are undergoing water privatization and ways in which they are dealing with it would greatly add to the
collectivestruggleagainstprivatization.
Giventhecurrentwaveofprivatizationprojectsinthewatersector(theDelhiJalBoard(DJB),theagency
responsible for water supply in Delhi, is implementing three pilot projects on a PPP basis and has
introducedanumberofreformsincludingoutsourcingofmeterreadingandbilling,privatisationoftanker
watersupplyandtheappointmentofthreespecialmagistratestodealwithcasesofunauthoriseduseof
waterinthepastoneyearmakingwaterprivatizationarealthreat)andunderthecurrentbackdrop,aone
dayconferenceisbeingorganisedon19thMarch(Tuesday)inNewDelhionWaterPrivatization:Learning
from India and International Experiences by the Citizens Front for Water Democracy, Focus on the
Global South, PEACE, Delhi Journalist Association and Water Workers Alliance at the Indian Social
Institute,LodhiEstate(BehindSaiBabaMandir).

Foranyfurtherinformation,pleasecontact:
SANaqvi(CitizensFrontforWaterDemocracy):Phone:9871449968;Email:sanaqvi@sify.com
AfsarJafri(FocusontheGlobalSouth,India):

Phone:9582070803;Email:a.jafri@focusweb.org

AnilPandey(DelhiJournalistAssociation):

Phone:9968256956;Email:panil07@gmail.com

SanjaySharma(WaterWorkersAlliance):

Phone:9716621234;Email:sanjay.chemistdjb@yahoo.in

FocusontheGlobalSouth,India
ContactAddress:
C/oInterculturalResources(ICR),33D,3rdFloor,VijayMandalEnclave,
DDASFSFlats,KalluSarai,NewDelhi:110016.INDIA
TEL:+911126560133;TELEFAX:+911126560133

[32]

ListofParticipants
Sr.No.

Name

Place

1.

VijayKranti

NewDelhi

2.

VijenderKumar

NewDelhi

3.

PramodKumar

NewDelhi

4.

BhagatSingh

NewDelhi

5.

BhairavSingh

Bhagpat,UttarPradesh

6.

RajendraSingh

Bhagpat,UttarPradesh

7.

N.ArunKumar

Chitradurga,Karnataka

8.

RasoolM.Nadaf

Hubli,Karnataka

9.

AshokKumarChaudhary

NewDelhi

10.

BrijPal

NewDelhi

11.

ParmodKumar

NewDelhi

12.

A.S.Yadav

NewDelhi

13.

ManiPalSingh

NewDelhi

14.

OmPal

NewDelhi

15.

MohmmadNaseeb

NewDelhi

16.

Alauddin

NewDelhi

17.

AninditaChakraborty

NewDelhi

18.

Shaukeen

NewDelhi

19.

Intejaar

NewDelhi

20.

SamraKhan

Meerut,UttarPradesh

21.

RehaneKhan

Meerut,UttarPradesh

22.

KiranShaheen

NewDelhi

23.

VijaySinghChoudhary

Rajasthan

24.

K.P.Singh

UttarPradesh

25.

Kuldeep

NewDelhi

26.

DeshRaj

NewDelhi

27.

DSKapur

NewDelhi

28.

RajeshR.

NewDelhi

29.

M.D.Narang

NewDelhi

30.

RajendenduParashad

NewDelhi

31.

PraveenKumar

Gurgaon,Haryana

32.

RajKumar

Gurgaon,Haryana

33.

VinodKumar

NewDelhi

34.

ManoranjanPegu

Faridabad,Haryana

35.

HirayUdayKaul

...

36.

ShashiShekharMishr

NewDelhi

37.

RajivSingh

NewDelhi
[33]

38.

BhojRajPradhan

NewDelhi

39.

Yogesh

NewDelhi

40.

AarthaKukreti

NewDelhi

41.

AnoopKumarSharma

NewDelhi

42.

AKJain

NewDelhi

43.

HimanshuThakkar

NewDelhi

44.

GauravDwivedi

Badwani,M.P.

45.

AviRam

NewDelhi

46.

RamJanak

NewDelhi

47.

Rameshwar

NewDelhi

48.

MaheshSharma

NewDelhi

49.

ChandraPrakashOjha

NewDelhi

50.

V.Anaimuthu

NewDelhi

51.

P.D.Tharappan

NewDelhi

52.

S.Shrinivasan

NewDelhi

53.

AnilHanda

NewDelhi

54.

R.P.SChaudhury

NewDelhi

55.

AshokPandit

NewDelhi

56.

TarunMandoli

Khandwa,M.P.

57.

PoojaRavi

NewDelhi

58.

P.P.Lakra

NewDelhi

59.

ArpitJain

NewDelhi

60.

VinayBharadwaj

NewDelhi

61.

RajivSajwan

NewDelhi

62.

K.P.Sharma

NewDelhi

63.

AshokSinghYadav

NewDelhi

64.

AnilKumar

NewDelhi

65.

SunilKumar

NewDelhi

66.

S.S.Dangi

NewDelhi

67.

KiranPal

NewDelhi

68.

SanwalRamYadav

NewDelhi

69.

ArunKumar

NewDelhi

70.

Jayil

NewDelhi

71.

P.N.Patel

Jaipur,Rajasthan

72.

SavaiSingh

Jaipur,Rajasthan

73.

GarimaVerma

NewDelhi

74.

ShilpaOhri

NewDelhi

75.

AnkitaHandoo

NewDelhi

76.

Sumarindu

NewDelhi

[34]

77.

SanjayKumar

NewDelhi

78.

Virapal

NewDelhi

79.

RakeshKumar

NewDelhi

80.

M.J.Gulfam

NewDelhi

81.

ImranKhan

NewDelhi

82.

DayaChand

UttarPradesh

83.

RajKishore

NewDelhi

84.

NareshChand

NewDelhi

85.

BadanPal

NewDelhi

86.

BabuRam

NewDelhi

87.

JaiKishna

NewDelhi

88.

M.Ahmed

NewDelhi

89.

Ch.Islammudin

NewDelhi

90.

Ch.Riyazuddin

NewDelhi

91.

R.L.Rahatgaoukar

Aurangabad

92.

DeepakSharma

UttarPradesh

93.

Dr.VandanaShiva

NewDelhi

94.

GaganLal

NewDelhi

95.

Natrarpal

NewDelhi

96.

SurenderSingh

NewDelhi

97.

AshokGovindpurkar

Latur,Maharashtra

98.

PursotamPatil

Latur,Maharashtra

99.

SankarLal

NewDelhi

100.

OmPal

NewDelhi

101.

RakeshKumar

NewDelhi

102.

MukeshKumar

NewDelhi

103.

DinaNath

NewDelhi

104.

RakeshRaj

NewDelhi

105.

S.B.Singh

NewDelhi

106.

NeerajKaranSingh

NewDelhi

107.

K.K.Raj

NewDelhi

108.

MilindSagar

NewDelhi

109.

TilakRam

UttarPradesh

110.

AliSher

NewDelhi

111.

K.J.Joy

Pune,Maharashtra

112.

PramodKumar

NewDelhi

113.

ArunBidani

NewDelhi

114.

RamanTayagi

Meerut,UttarPradesh

115.

VijayLaxmi

NewDelhi

[35]

116.

HeeraLal

NewDelhi

117.

AshutoshJoshi

Jaipur,Rajasthan

118.

MadhureshKumar

NewDelhi

119.

NagrajAdve

NewDelhi

120.

RadheyShyam

NewDelhi

121.

MukeshKumar

NewDelhi

122.

SureshKumar

Gurgaoan,Haryana

123.

KrishanSingh

NewDelhi

124.

RajendraSinghNegi

NewDelhi

125.

RajeshKumar

NewDelhi

126.

HariOm

NewDelhi

127.

NanakChand

NewDelhi

128.

B.S.Gubastin

NewDelhi

129.

M.K.Sharma

NewDelhi

130.

NiveditaKhandekar

NewDelhi

131.

JagbeerSingh

NewDelhi

132.

RasanLal

NewDelhi

133.

GajenderSingh

NewDelhi

134.

PremShankarVerma

UttarPradesh

135.

Satraghan

NewDelhi

136.

RajenderKumar

NewDelhi

137.

RamNaresh

Ghaziabad,UttarPradesh

138.

RamGopal

NewDelhi

139.

AshokKumar

NewDelhi

140.

JaiBhagwan

NewDelhi

141.

JammuAnand

Nagpur,Maharashtra

142.

ManoharLal

NewDelhi

143.

MaheshKumar

NewDelhi

144.

SachinKumar

NewDelhi

145.

ACSartasananda

NewDelhi

146.

DevkiNandan

NewDelhi

147.

DipakDholakia

NewDelhi

148.

BaburaoSDandikar

Dharwad,Karnataka

149.

MayankSingh

NewDelhi

150.

AshokRoy

NewDelhi

151.

GursharanSingh

NewDelhi

152.

HarPrasad

NewDelhi

153.

RaviKantRai

NewDelhi

154.

AshwinRai

NewDelhi

[36]

155.

MaharajSingh

NewDelhi

156.

B.Yadav

NewDelhi

157.

J.P.Narayan

NewDelhi

158.

SatbirSingh

NewDelhi

159.

BirpalSingh

NewDelhi

160.

AjayKumar

NewDelhi

161.

UmedRati

ModiNagar

162.

T.S.Bajjar

NewDelhi

163.

A.R.Abbas

NewDelhi

164.

UdaiVeerSingh

NewDelhi

165.

RakeshKRai

NewDelhi

166.

K.K.Rai

NewDelhi

167.

SachinHitkari

NewDelhi

168.

Tejpal

NewDelhi

169.

SnehalM.Shah

NewDelhi

170.

HarishSharma

Rajasthan

171.

BhushanGupta

NewDelhi

172.

BalrajSingh

NewDelhi

173.

VickyWalters

NewZealand

174.

ArvindPandey

NewDelhi

175.

RameshKumar

NewDelhi

176.

VivekSingh

NewDelhi

177.

Sahabram

NewDelhi

178.

RamanKannan

Haryana

179.

TripurariPrakash

NewDelhi

180.

VinayKumarGoyal

NewDelhi

181.

VarunKaushik

NewDelhi

182.

SanjaySingh

NewDelhi

183.

Devender

NewDelhi

184.

S.A.Azad

NewDelhi

185.

VinayBaindur

Bangalore,Karnataka

186.

VirenLobo

NewDelhi

187.

JaspalKasanu

NewDelhi

188.

NarendraBhadana

NewDelhi

189.

BrhamChudhaury

NewDelhi

190.

C.Singh

NewDelhi

191.

RameshRana

NewDelhi

192.

RaviMassey

NewDelhi

193.

SasiKant

NewDelhi

[37]

194.

BabuRamNaagar

NewDelhi

195.

RavinderKumarSharma

NewDelhi

196.

RakeshBhardwaj

NewDelhi

197.

RadheyShyamGoswami

NewDelhi

198.

RajbirSingh

Haryana

199.

C.B.Singh

NewDelhi

200.

Soheb

NewDelhi

201.

Dharmpal

NewDelhi

202.

RehmatRawat

Badwani,M.P.

203.

B.R.Sharma

NewDelhi

204.

SultanSingh

NewDelhi

205.

RamPhoal

NewDelhi

206.

Saurav

NewDelhi

207.

JoginderSingh

NewDelhi

208.

BhureRam

NewDelhi

209.

KuldipKumar

NewDelhi

210.

RamNiwas

NewDelhi

211.

BalKishan

NewDelhi

212.

A.K.Garg

NewDelhi

213.

S.S.Meena

NewDelhi

214.

RichaSharma

Noida,UttarPradesh

215.

Kuldeep

Noida,UttarPradesh

216.

Habib

NewDelhi

217.

Jalaauddin

NewDelhi

218.

BhagvanjiRaiyani

Mumbai,Maharashtra

219.

RavindraSingh

NewDelhi

220.

Polhit

Noida,UttarPradesh

221.

NirmalaSharma

NewDelhi

222.

DalbirSingh

NewDelhi

223.

RamparKoshi

NewDelhi

224.

RavinderSingh

NewDelhi

225.

Pawan

NewDelhi

226.

RajbirSingh

NewDelhi

227.

ShriBhagwan

NewDelhi

228.

ShouShaha

NewDelhi

229.

JagdishKumar

NewDelhi

230.

GireeshBhaskarR

Khandwa,MadhyaPradesh

231.

SunilKumar

Ahmednagar,Maharashtra

232.

DwarkaPrasadPathak

MadhyaPradesh

[38]

233.

D.P.Senwal

NewDelhi

234.

DuliChand

Faridabad,Haryana

235.

RajendraRavi

NewDelhi

236.

Kumar

NewDelhi

237.

GregoryBerglund

NewDelhi

238.

GopalKrishna

NewDelhi

239.

SheelKumarJain

Faridabad

240.

TwishaHans

NewDelhi

241.

PrakharJain

NewDelhi

242.

JaiBhagwanSharma

NewDelhi

243.

SukrutaAllmi

NewDelhi

244.

MahaswethaDass

NewDelhi

245.

ShankarAnand

NewDelhi

246.

Priti

NewDelhi

247.

Sanjeev

NewDelhi

248.

SoumyaDutta

NewDelhi

249.

Dr.A.K.Arun

NewDelhi

250.

AshokSonawane

Mumbai,Maharashtra

251.

OmpalSingh

NewDelhi

252.

RoshanLalRathor

NewDelhi

253.

VichitraSingh

NewDelhi

254.

RadheyShyam

NewDelhi

255.

Baljeet

NewDelhi

256.

RanSingh

NewDelhi

257.

KuldeepKumar

NewDelhi

258.

KeshavVeer

NewDelhi

259.

Jagbeer

NewDelhi

260.

RamNagina

NewDelhi

261.

OmPrakash

NewDelhi

262.

RamKishanGohlot

NewDelhi

263.

Rohtash

NewDelhi

264.

RamPrakashSharma

NewDelhi

265.

VirBabu

NewDelhi

266.

DineshGoel

NewDelhi

267.

RahulArora

Gurgaon,Haryana

268.

RamneetKaur

NewDelhi

269.

SaurabhSinha

Ballia,UttarPradesh

270.

N.R.Bheda

Chennai,TamilNadu

271.

Chandan

NewDelhi

[39]

272.

A.K.Gautam

NewDelhi

273.

Mamta

NewDelhi

274.

Renu

NewDelhi

275.

Poonan

NewDelhi

276.

ManshiPrakash

NewDelhi

277.

AnitaKapoor

NewDelhi

278.

DiwanSingh

NewDelhi

279.

P.C.Mishra

NewDelhi

280.

AmitSrivastava

Noida,UttarPradesh

281.

RazaAbbas

NewDelhi

282.

AjoyAshirwad

NewDelhi

283.

RachnaAtri

NewDelhi

284.

Shweta

NewDelhi

285.

Lakshita

NewDelhi

286.

Mahesh

NewDelhi

287.

VijayPratap

NewDelhi

288.

Ruchishree

NewDelhi

289.

TanZhiXian

NewDelhi

290.

TokasSatanJe

MadhyaPradesh

291.

MPSRaghuwanshi

Faridabad,Haryana

292.

NikamVishvash

Maharashtra

293.

SatyamShrivastava

NewDelhi

294.

OvaisSultanKhan

NewDelhi

295.

ShyamSinghBisht

Uttarakhand

296.

AfsarJafri

NewDelhi

297.

Pro.Soni

NewDelhi

298.

ArvindKejriwal

Kaushambi

299.

ChiragGarg

NewDelhi

300.

ParulDwivedi

Gaziabad

301.

SahabRam

Bahadurgarh

302.

SANaqvi

NewDelhi

303.

SanjaySharma

NewDelhi

304.

MedhaPatkar

Mumbai

305.

PabloSalon

Bangkok

306.

RajendraSacchar

NewDelhi

307.

AshutoshDixit

NewDelhi

308.

TrishaAgarwala

NewDelhi

309.

MansiSharma

NewDelhi
***

[40]