In a setback to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the High Court of Karnataka has declared as illegal the Greater Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Project (GBWSSP) charges and the Beneficiary Capital Contribution (BCC) charges collected from residents and the commercial ventures respectively in areas newly added to the city.
However, the court said the State or the BWSSB can bring in these charges, which are held to be illegal under the provisions of the Bangalore Water and Sewerage Sanitary Act, 1964, and the Bangalore Water Supply Regulations, 1965 by making suitable amendments to the Act, or the regulations.
The BWSSB had collected hundreds of crores of rupees under the GBWSSP from all types of buildings, including old and new residential buildings, based on the size of the site in the seven city municipal councils and one town municipal council that were added to the city limits, for providing drinking water and underground drainage facilities.
