Difficulties in regularizing water connection

Aurangabad, June 19:

The process to regularize the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) water connection is very complicated and expensive. Hence, the residents are reluctant to regularize the water connection as they incurred expenses of around Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 for it. As a result, the illegal water connections are enormous. More importantly, there is no specific policy of the administration for regularizing the connections.

If any citizen inquires about regularizing his water connection with AMC, he is asked to pay the water tax for one year apart from plumbing charges, digging charges, and others. All of this amount to around Rs 25,000 and hence he is not ready to spend such a huge amount.

The administration during the general body meeting and standing committee meetings was directed to regularize the illegal connections. It was suggested that a specific amount should be recovered from the residents for regularization of the water connection, which will provide revenue to AMC. However, the administration ignored these suggestions given by the political leaders.

Ward engineers have been appointed in various parts of the city. However, they have not implemented any drive to regularize the water connections so far. Even if the residents go to the offices for it, they are not cooperated by the officials. Their files are sent to the ward offices and the residents have to wander to the offices on several occasions.

Executive engineer Hemant Kolhe said that the residents do not have proper documents. The water connection process is initiated only if the property tax of the current year is paid. The plumber prepares a file and misleads the residents by quoting a huge amount. Hence, the residents do not come forward for regularizing the connections, he said.

Residents incur expenses of around Rs 25,000

Authorized connections in city - 1,35,515

Commercial connections - 3,000

Water Tax - 2,000