MCC plans to regularise illegal water connections

Mysuru: In what could be a happy news for those with illegal water connections, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has decided to regularise such connections by waiving off accrued interest and penalty. It will be a one-time settlement.
MCC commissioner Gurudatta Hegde told TOI that they have initiated the process to regularise illegal connections as it has lost crores of rupees in revenue. A decision to this effect will be announced after discussing the issue with the finance standing committee and seeking approval, he said.
Mysuru had a population of more than 13 lakh and over 2 lakh households. The MCC had 1,70, 000 metered water connections. It also has more than 20,000 illegal connections including domestic, industrial and commercial in all 65 wards in all nine zonal limits. If they are regularized, the corporation will get an additional Rs 2 crore revenue per month, officials said.
“In some parts of the city, consumers have cut water pipes and bypassed meters to draw water,” said the sources.
MCC has set aside Rs 2 crore this fiscal year budget to buy water meters for regularization of illegal water connections. It has plans to install the meters to illegal connections and collect the water meter installation charges on instalment basis.
The civic body has also initiated the process of collecting arrears from defaulters. Officials have failed to collect dues of nearly Rs 180.3 crore from defaulters including over Rs 40 crore pending from various government offices. “We have issued notices to the departments and written to their head offices in Bengaluru about the dues,” said Hegde.