NMC borrows money, but fails to recover Rs104cr water dues
Proshun Chakraborty | TNN | Jan 9, 2019, 03:49 ISTNagpur: At a time when Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had to borrow Rs200 crore from a bank to meet its liabilities, it has overlooked recovery of over Rs103.88 crore arrears from 1.90 lakh water consumers in the city.
Interestingly, most of the defaulters are still enjoying uninterrupted water supply as NMC and Orange City Water — the private firm engaged in implementing 24x7 water supply scheme — has disconnected only 4.3% connections for failure to pay the water bills.
In reply to an RTI query by activist Abhay Kolarkar, the NMC’s water works department has revealed that of the 3.46 lakh consumers, only 2.65 lakh have paid bills between January 1, 2017 and November 30, 2018 collectively amounting to Rs250 crore. During the same period, the OCW generated 26,44,101 bills and the consumer count was 3,46,751.
The NMC’s casual approach in recovering the dues from water defaulters was also revealed in the RTI reply. Against 2,65,945 defaulter consumers, the joint team of NMC and OCW has disconnected only 8,378 water connections.
According to the RTI reply, average volume supplied to the citizens from January 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018, was 661.40 MLD.
Water works consultative committee chairman Pintu Zalke claimed that he has already issued directives to the OCW and water works department to disconnect the connections of big defaulters. “Following my directives, the department has already disconnected water connection to Venkatesh City in Nandanwan area for defaulting on Rs45 lakh water bills,” he said.
Civic activist and president of NMC Employees’ Union Jammu Anand said for the last 12 years, BJP is ruling the NMC and it is casual in recovering arrears from big defaulters of both water and property tax bills.
According to him, for the last three terms the NMC is implementing dream projects of a national leader and all the projects are either running in losses or have bitterly failed. As a result of the development model of the leader, the NMC is reeling under heavy debt burden, he pointed out. “It is very difficult that NMC would come out of the debt in near future,” Anand claimed.
Interestingly, most of the defaulters are still enjoying uninterrupted water supply as NMC and Orange City Water — the private firm engaged in implementing 24x7 water supply scheme — has disconnected only 4.3% connections for failure to pay the water bills.
In reply to an RTI query by activist Abhay Kolarkar, the NMC’s water works department has revealed that of the 3.46 lakh consumers, only 2.65 lakh have paid bills between January 1, 2017 and November 30, 2018 collectively amounting to Rs250 crore. During the same period, the OCW generated 26,44,101 bills and the consumer count was 3,46,751.
The NMC’s casual approach in recovering the dues from water defaulters was also revealed in the RTI reply. Against 2,65,945 defaulter consumers, the joint team of NMC and OCW has disconnected only 8,378 water connections.
According to the RTI reply, average volume supplied to the citizens from January 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018, was 661.40 MLD.
Water works consultative committee chairman Pintu Zalke claimed that he has already issued directives to the OCW and water works department to disconnect the connections of big defaulters. “Following my directives, the department has already disconnected water connection to Venkatesh City in Nandanwan area for defaulting on Rs45 lakh water bills,” he said.
Civic activist and president of NMC Employees’ Union Jammu Anand said for the last 12 years, BJP is ruling the NMC and it is casual in recovering arrears from big defaulters of both water and property tax bills.
According to him, for the last three terms the NMC is implementing dream projects of a national leader and all the projects are either running in losses or have bitterly failed. As a result of the development model of the leader, the NMC is reeling under heavy debt burden, he pointed out. “It is very difficult that NMC would come out of the debt in near future,” Anand claimed.
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