City only has 1.40 lakh authorised water connection

Aurangabad, Feb 7:

At present, there are three lakh registered properties within the municipal limits. In comparison, the number of authorised water connections is only 1,40,000 and more than 50,000 unauthorized connections. AMC has to spend Rs 80 to 90 crore every year for water supply. In comparison, Rs 25 to 30 crore is collected from water supply. Thus the water bill arrears have reached Rs 321 crore.

For the last several years, the corporation has had to bear the financial deficit. The number of citizens taking unauthorized water connections is huge. The city is growing rapidly in all four directions. In the past few years, the corporation has not laid waterlines in new settlements. More than 200 settlements are being supplied with water by tankers for the last eight years and spending Rs 3 to 4 crore every year on tanker water supply. About 70 per cent of the property tax collected is spent on water supply. Therefore, there is no money left with the corporation for development works. Unauthorized water connections are the biggest headache for municipal officials. The administration has repeatedly implemented various schemes to authorize unauthorized taps but to no avail. About 70 per cent of the citizens do not pay the water bills. The officials also have to face opposition from political leaders while disconnecting illegal tap connections and defaulters. Residential property owners owe Rs 264 crore, while commercial property owners owe Rs 56 crore. In the current financial year, the corporation aims to collect Rs 60 crore from water tax.

Efforts for recovery of pending bills

The municipal corporation has started vigorous efforts for recovery of property tax and water bills. An independent task force has also been formed. Five to eight lakhs are being recovered every day. The task force has disconnected pipe connections in several places. By the end of March, the recovery will increase, said Aparna Thete, deputy commissioner, municipal corporation.

321 crore arrears

In the last 25 to 30 years, AMC has never paid serious attention to water bill recovery. Thus the arrears of water supply have climbed to Rs 321 crore.