HYDERABAD: The response to the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (VDS) introduced by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) three months ago facilitating consumers who obtained unauthorised water connections, to get them regularised has been lukewarm.
Of the estimated one lakh consumers found to have illegal water connections in Greater Hyderabad limits, only 7,000 have come forward to regularise their connections under the scheme till date.
The water board has been asking them to take advantage of the VDS to avoid risk of being levied heavy penalties and criminal cases.
According to the permission accorded by the State government, the water board said that it would implement the scheme for a period of 90 days.
The VDS began on November 22 and the last date for regularisation of illegal water connection is February 21.
A decision is yet to be taken on extending the deadline for the scheme. In all, 6,955 applications were received by the water board in the last three months for the VDS.
In the earlier VDS held a few years ago, of the estimated 1.25 lakh consumers found to have illegal water connections in Greater Hyderabad limits, only 23,000 consumers have regularised their connections under the scheme.
HMWS&SB officials said that the consumers having illegal connections have to submit their applications online to regularise their connections by paying normal connection charges along with one month demand as penalty- moratorium.
Illegal connections caught beyond the above moratorium period would have to pay two times connection charges, plus three years of consumption charges in addition to service charges of Rs 300, failing which criminal charges would be registered.
Cough up fine for illegal connections
Illegal connections caught beyond the above moratorium period would have to pay two times connection charges, plus three years of consumption charges, in addition to service charges of Rs 300, failing which criminal charges would be registered against them