No proposal to remove meter readers: HMWS&SB
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) said there is no proposal to remove any meter readers and will hold a special meeting to address their concerns. The clarification follows demands for regularisation after three outsourced meter‑reader deaths and pending salary issues.
- ✓The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) said there is no proposal to remove any meter readers and will hold a special meeting to address their concerns.
- ✓The board’s records show a proposed strength of 782 meter‑readers against the current 677, all engaged through open‑tendered manpower agencies.
- ✓Each agency receives a monthly payment of ₹15,600 per meter‑reader for reading or disconnection tasks, exclusive of statutory social‑security benefits.
- ✓The outcome will affect the employment security of hundreds of workers and could reshape the board’s billing and collection operations.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) announced that no meter‑reader employed by the board will be dismissed and that no such proposal exists. Managing Director K. Ashok Reddy said a special meeting will be convened on Tuesday to discuss the grievances raised by meter‑readers, with any decisions to be made public thereafter.
The board’s records show a proposed strength of 782 meter‑readers against the current 677, all engaged through open‑tendered manpower agencies. Each agency receives a monthly payment of ₹15,600 per meter‑reader for reading or disconnection tasks, exclusive of statutory social‑security benefits. In April 2026, HMWS&SB wrote to the MA&UD (Engineering) department seeking clarification on including meter‑readers in the Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS) portal, a request reiterated in February 2026. Delays in paying outsourcing staff are attributed to late attendance submissions, and the tendering process for new agencies has been halted pending government guidance.
Meter‑readers are outsourced workers who have recently demanded regularisation after three colleagues died while on the job. The Telangana Outsourcing Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) lodged a representation in November 2025, prompting the board to seek clarification from the Finance Department on whether meter‑readers qualify as “activity outsourcing” under IFMIS. The outcome will affect the employment security of hundreds of workers and could reshape the board’s billing and collection operations.
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| Issuing Authority | The Hindu National |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | GOVERNANCE |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 13 September 2026 |