Nagpur: In a major jolt to NMC water supply operator OCW, the board of Nagpur Environment Services Ltd (NESL) rejected its plan to complete the 24X7 water supply project by May 2019 and asked it to do so by September 2018.
Following an OCW proposal, the water works department submitted a request on revision of plan for completion of 24X7 water supply work. “Instead, the vice-chairman-cum-managing director of the board Virendra Singh, who is also municipal commissioner of the NMC, directed the company to expedite the work in Hanuman Nagar, Ashi Nagar and Nehru Nagar zones,” said water works committee chairman and NESL director Pintu Zalke.
In the meeting, the civic chief also directed OCW to restore dug up roads within 20 days. Mayor Nanda Jichkar, who is chairperson of the NESL, ruling party leader Sandip Joshi and leader of opposition Tanaji Wanve (who are directors) were also present.
To ensure 24X7 water supply, OCW was supposed to lay household service connections at 3,20,211 houses and water network of 676km. However, it could only complete 1.69 lakh household connections and 600km water pipeline network.
The approved project cost is Rs387.86 crore. Already, the cost has increased to Rs566.09 crore due to the delay. The meet also decided to release payment to OCW in accordance with work progress.
The meeting, however, gave nod to NESL’s proposal to recover water tax arrears through property tax department. The proposal was cleared on condition that the property tax department will get 10% of the recovered arrears. Currently, arrears towards water consumers is around Rs180 crore including Rs91.54 crore from 11,421 disconnected consumers and Rs93.59 crore from 1,76,035 consumers.
Zalke said water works department had no power to recover water bill arrears and can only disconnect defaulters’ water supply, whereas tax department has power to auction even properties of defaulters. So the decision has been taken to recover of arrears of water charges through the tax department, he said.
The board was in favour of waiving delay payment charges of water consumers from slums. According to data, the outstanding from slum-dwellers is around Rs16 crore. The board also okayed a proposal to set up water dispensers in city. Water will be provided at a rate of 2 paise per litre, said Zalke.
The board also cleared a proposal to install 14,000 new meters in houses from where meters were stolen. The consumers will have to shell out Rs800, while OCW will share an equal amount, said Zalke. It also okayed shifting of pipeline at Khairpura proposed railway underbridge site at a cost of Rs1.38 crore.