Mission Impossible: AMC vows to recover Rs 114 crore water tax in two months!

Aurangabad: The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) claims of facing hardship in collecting old dues and current year water tax from the citizens. The AMC has vowed to collect a water tax of Rs 114 crore in two months (February and March).

The current year's target collection of water tax is Rs 130 crore, out of which, the civic authorities recorded a collection of Rs 16 crore from April 2022 to January 2023.

Loss of Rs 100 crore?

Under the water supply scheme, the AMC quench the thirst of the city having a population of more than 15 lakhs, but poor recovery of water tax is disappointing the authorities. Every year, the AMC spends around Rs 140 crore (right from lifting water to Jayakwadi Dam to supply water in the taps), but the water tax collection figures do not exceed Rs 35 crore. Hence the AMC is pushed to sustain a loss of Rs 100 crore annually.

Hope to collect Rs 25 crore by March-end

As per AMC records, there are 1.25 lakh official water connections (residential and commercial). Ironically, the strength of illegal connections is also the same.

The AMC has reduced the water tax from Rs 4,050 to Rs 2,050 from April 2022. Then also citizens avoid paying the water tax. It is observed that 80 per cent of citizens had not paid their current year's water tax, so far. The first month of the new year is about to end, but the collection speed has not increased. It is hoped that the collection may at least be Rs 25 crore by March end.

Box

Number of Zones - 09

Total Connections - 1.25 lakh.

Strength of tax-paying connection-holders - 19,000.

Target water tax collection - Rs 130 crore.

AMC water tax collection - Rs 16 crore (Apr to Jan).