HYDERABAD: A majority of over 80,000 drinking water taps in the city, which were disconnected by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board for non-payment for long, have been reconnected deviously by the defaulters, thereby causing huge revenue loss to the water board over the years.
Of the 80,672 Consumer Account Numbers (CANs) disconnected by HMWS&SB, 69,530 are domestic connections and 11,142 are commercial. The vigilance wing of the board, during a drive against illegal tap connections a few days ago, found to their utter dismay that disconnected taps were reconnected illegally to the water distribution pipelines by house owners with the help of private plumbers and had been drawing water without the knowledge of HMWS&SB.
HMWS&SB officials said that a special drive would be carried out to identify those disconnected taps which were restored illegally by the owners. Those caught by the vigilance wing would be booked under Sections 269 and 430 for offences which attract five years’ imprisonment and a huge penalty. Also, if any employee or official is found to have connived with such house-owners, the board would not spare them but take stringent action against them, they said.
O&M Division-4 covering Gunfoundry, Red Hills, Sultan Bazar, Ziaguda, Ghode ke Khabar and Gowliguda tops the list of disconnections with 8,378 domestic and 2,266 commercial CANs. It was followed by Division-6 which covers Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Erragadda, Somajiguda, SR Nagar, Vengal Rao Nagar, Yellareddyguda and Fathenagar with 8,367 domestic and 1,726 commercial CANs and Division-7 covering Bhoiguda, Lalapet, Marredpally, Mettuguda, Nallagutta, Prakashnagar, Sitaphalmandi and Tarnaka with 7,738 domestic and 1,330 commercial CANs.
In the operation and maintenance divisions, 4,358 domestic and 989 commercial connections were disconnected in division-1; 5,282 domestic and 789 commercial in division-e; 3,612 domestic and 713 commercial in division-3; 8,378 domestic and 2,266 commercial in division-4; 7,570 domestic and 1,921 commercial in division-5; 8,367 domestic and 1,728 commercial in division-6; 7,728 domestic and 1,330 commercial in division-7; 83 domestic and four commercial in division-8; 2,774 domestic and 278 commercial in division-9; 3,397 domestic and 491 commercial in division-10; 10 domestic CANs in division-11; 3,659 domestic and 107 commercial in division-12; over 6,700 domestic and 96 commercial in division-13; 4,167 domestic and 145 commercial in division-14; 2,003 domestic and 223 commercial in division-15; 1,230 domestic in division-16; 2 domestic and one commercial in division-19; 11 domestic and 2 commercial in division-20; and 4 domestic connections in division-21.
GHMC slaps fine of `5,000 against builder
The GHMC has slapped a fine of `5,000 on M/s Annapurna Builders, White House, Begumpet for letting the water from the building on to the roads.
GHMC commissioner M Dana Kishore, who was passing through the road, saw water being let out from the building on to the main road. The GHMC and HMWS&SB officials inspected the site and found that water was being let out without any prior permission. The GHMC has slapped the fine on the builder.