How long is ten days? If it is the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB), 10 days could mean 10 months, 10 years, or even eternity.

In August 1994, Bangalore resident Narayan was billed for a staggering 1.2 lakh litres of water, whereas the average consumption for this family of two adults and two children is under 20,000 litres a month. Despite protests, the bill had to be paid because of the threat of disconnection, and the BWSSB took away the meter for "testing" (also collecting a fee for this).

For the following one year, the BWSSB kept saying that their test report was "not yet ready", and thereafter the reply was that the "papers could not be traced". After more than 15 visits to the BWSSB office, Narayan was about to give up when a water "adalat" got scheduled for March 18, 2002. His case was taken up, and the adalat ordered the BWSSB executive engineer to "look into and resolve the grievance within 10 days".

That was a month and a half ago. The BWSSB is yet to get back to the aggrieved consumer. "Even if we had left the taps open all day for the full month, we could not have used up 1.6 lakh units since the corporation water flows for only two hours a day," says an angry Narayan.

A service that is supposed to be an essential public utility not only slaps an inflated demand on users, but also gets away with charging for a "test" that never took place. It then merrily flouts the adalat's order.

In the "Silicon Valley" of India, even having a domestic water connection can mean a rip-off.

-Sakuntala Narasimhan

AFFORDABLE ART
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HIGH ART LOW COST: Singh's watercolour

It's art for animals' sake. Fifteen popular artists, of varying style and ability, have contributed 500 drawings to a charity show for the Delhi-based People for Animals group at the Maurya Sheraton (till May 5). But as project coordinator Ambika Shukla says, it is not "just another bazaar show".

Jogen Chowdhury, among the leaders of the pack, showed innovation by smudging the colours in his folkish figures and Arpita Singh made a watercolour with diaphanous petals and two nude figures (of indeterminate sex) gossiping underneath. M.F. Husain was the most conspicuous with 100 drawings. No work is priced over Rs 40,000. So hopefully some animals will at least have a bright future.

-Anshul Avijit

Modi on Aaj Tak

The Aaj Tak online opinion poll on whether Narendra Modi should go elicited an unparalleled response, with 2,14,246 reactions streaming in from across the country. Like in Parliament, there wasn't much dividing the ayes and the nays. While 53 per cent voters wanted Modi to stay, 47 per cent wanted him to go.