Aurangabad, Jan 6:
The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) administrator A K Pandey today underlined that the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) would be implementing the new water supply scheme, soon. As a result, the civic administration is gearing up to install meters on commercial water-connections in the first phase and on residential water-connections in the second phase.
As reported earlier, the MJP had awarded the contract of new water supply scheme of Rs 1680 crore to the Hyderabad-based GVPR Company. The company is expected to submit the bank guarantee soon, and then it will kickstart the work on a priority basis. In reference to MJP''s development, the administrator, while speaking to media persons said, " The work to start water supply scheme is in the last leg. Hence the civic administration is planning to fix water meters in phases. The priority will be commercial connection-holders and then residential connection-holders.
The works will be done under the Smart City project. Meanwhile, a Pune-based agency has been assigned to prepare the project report. After fixing meters, AMC''s focus will be on detecting illegal water connections in the city."
According to sources, the civic officials may face opposition from the citizens while fixing the water-meters. In the past, when the AMC had started to fix meters, as a part of the old parallel pipeline project, it had faced huge opposition from the citizens. The municipal corporation elections are around the corner, therefore, it is feared that there would be opposition to the water-meters project.
Will AMC succeed in recovering Rs 321 crore dues
The AMC noticed that the citizens avoid paying their taxes, including water tax, every year. As per record, the water tax is unpaid for the past 20-25 years. The total outstanding upon the citizens is Rs 321 crore. It includes Rs 264 crore upon residential and Rs 65 crore from the commercial connection-holders. The target collection of water tax during the financial year 2020-21 is Rs 60.94 crore. It includes Rs 49.14 crore from residential and Rs 11.80 crore from commercial connection-holders. Ironically, the current year water tax collection is around 25 per cent only. As a result, the AMC has decided to focus on recovering water tax in this last quarter of the financial year.
1.25 lakh illegal connections in city
It is believed that there are more than 1.25 lakh illegal water connections in the city. The ruling parties office-bearers, of the past body, had launched an amnesty scheme to regularise the connection on payment of Rs 1,000. However, the administration did not implement it. Presently, the AMC is collecting more than Rs 10,000 to regularise an illegal connection. This amount is beyond the capacity of a common man, and they do not come forward to regularise their connections. Hence, the AMC is continuously losing the revenue in the form of water tax, since past many years.
Only 1.15 lakh legal connections in city
There are 1,14,629 residential water connections in the city, and the total dues upon them are Rs 314.13 crore. It includes current year tax of Rs 49.14 crore and old dues of Rs 265 crore. Besides, there are 1,923 commercial connections, and total dues upon them is Rs 68.36 crore. It includes Rs 11.80 crore as the current demand and Rs 56.55 crore as the old dues.