Glada owes ₹20cr to cash-strapped civic body in sewerage sharing charges

Ludhiana: The cash-starved municipal corporation is struggling to recover from the financial crisis. The situation is getting more difficult in the face of its inability to recover dues even from government departments. Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (Glada) owes sewer sharing charges amounting to Rs 20.61 crore to the MC for a long time. These charges are to be paid for connection of sewer lines of two Glada housing projects with the MC line.
Previously, MC officials estimated that after addition of five years of sewage treatment plants (STPs) maintenance along with sharing charges, Glada would have to pay Rs 35.61 crore. However, Glada deposited Rs 15 crore, while Rs 20.61 crore was pending. MC officials said they had written many letters to Glada authorities, but to no avail.
MC officials also demanded complete details of colonies connected to MC sewer lines. MC officials claimed that there were many colonies under the jurisdiction of Glada where domestic discharge connections were found to be connected with MC sewer lines without permission. They added that the civic body was treating this waste water at STPs without charging anything. They said that they had demanded the report as these colonies fall under the jurisdiction of Glada.
Officials said that the MC sewer system was originally designed to handle a limited number of consumers but when such connections increased without the knowledge of officials, the system was choked and overloaded. He attributed the problem of blocked sewerage in various areas to this. MC officials had conducted a drive to disconnect illegal connections of colonies which had connected sewers with the MC line without permission.