HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) is focusing on efforts towards realising the arrears from non-domestic consumers.
The field staff were instructed to serve the notices to the non-domestic consumers and to collect the arrears on top priority.
The HMWS&SB issued a clairification in response to the news item published on October 22, about 49,000 Hyderabad residents owing Water Board Rs 569 crore in unpaid bills.
It stated that no instructions were issued to disconnect the defaulters’ connections for domestic consumers, as right now, the HMWS&SB is focusing on the 20 KL-free water scheme and disconnecting domestic connections at this juncture will create confusion in the minds of general public and consumers.
In view of the 20 KL free water, the Water Board has stopped issuing bills to all domestic consumers within applicable jurisdiction to facilitate the consumers to register for the scheme. Further bills will be issued after expiry of the moratorium for the whole unbilled period, duly deducting the 20 KL free-water benefit amount for those who have complied with the scheme conditions.
The domestic bills will be released soon after the recommencement of the current billing/collection cycle.
As for non-domestic consumer arrears, the Water Board has been pursuing the matter, duly deploying officers with specific duties to monitor their billing and collection process. However, in the meeting held on September 22, MD M Dana Kishore instructed officials to disconnect tap connections of non-domestic consumers who never paid the bills and any laxity on the part of officials will be dealt with seriously.
Focus on free water scheme
In a clarification issued by the HMWSSB to the news item published on October 22, about 49,000 residents owe Water Board Rs 569 crore in unpaid bills, it stated that no instructions were issued to disconnect the defaulters’ connections for domestic consumers. The HMWSSB is focusing on the free water scheme, and disconnecting connections will create confusion. As for non-domestic consumer arrears, the Water Board has been pursuing the matter, duly deploying officers with specific duties to monitor their billing and collection process