VISAKHAPATNAM: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has been lagging behind in household water tax collections. In the last three years, it could only realise around 40 percent of the taxes, announced by GVMC Commissioner M Hari Narayanan.
Speaking to newsmen here in the commissioner chamber on Wednesday, Hari Narayanan said that in the financial year 2016-17, the corporation has succeeded in collecting only Rs 14 crore as against the target of Rs 48 crore as on date. The tax dues for the GVMC for the 2015-16 and 2014-15 are Rs 33 crore and Rs 28 crore respectively, he said. According to the commissioner, the civic body has been collecting 95 per cent of the targeted tax each year in property tax collection, but it is not happening with water tax.
“We appeal to people to cooperate with the GVMC and pay taxes on time. With the revenue we could take up various development works,” he said.
Hari Narayanan also said that they had been spending around Rs 5 crore on electricity bills itself to pump water from the Godavari as well as Yeleru reservoir. He also said that they had drafted a summer action plan and will make sure there would be no water scarcity in the city.
Hari Narayanan also said that the corporation is likely to take up the Yeleru canal distillation works from March 1 to augment its capacity with about Rs 5 crore. The canal will be temporarily closed for a month and as an alternative water will be drawn from other reservoirs, he said.