MADURAI: Tapping fresher resources to augment its shrinking revenue, the city Corporation recently sent a missive to the authorities of the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH), directing them to pay Rs 9.77 lakh ‘water charges’ for the supply made using tankers in May last.
What baffled the officials at the GRH was the fact that this was the first such bill presented by the Corporation in seven-eight years they have been sourcing water through tankers from the civic body. While Corporation Commissioner S Visakan said the move was aimed at revenue generation, a hospital staff, on condition of anonymity, said charging a premium for the basic need of a hospital, which caters to around 8,000 patients a day, could cripple the public healthcare system. The staff questioned the rationale behind the sudden imposition of charge when such a practice is not followed in other government hospitals in the State.
In the letter dated July 22, the City Engineer of Madurai Corporation wrote to the hospital management, urging it to pay Rs 9,77,600 as ‘water charges’ for the supply of 1,222 loads (priced at ‘800 per load) between May 1 and May 31. The hospital authorities after receiving the letter last week wondered why the fresh imposition was being made for May alone and why were they billed for 1,222 loads when the hospital received 1,240 loads in May.
As things stood till before the receipt of the missive, sources said that the GRH had been paying Rs 1-Rs 1.5 lakh annually to the Corporation (March every year) from the annual funds amounting to Rs 4.5 lakh allocated by the Directorate of Medical Education. The payments had been made under the head ‘water tax’ and not ‘water charges’.
This water tax had been for the pipeline supply. “At this rate, the government hospital would have to pay Rs 1.17 crore a year as ‘water charges’ when even the sophisticated equipment cost only lakhs” a source said.
However, the Corporation Commissioner’s rationale was: “While all other departments pay for the water supplied in tankers by the Corporation, which suffers from fund crunch, the GRH and the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court receive for free. As a first step, charges have been imposed on the hospital to generate revenue and hold it accountable for water leakage and wastage on the premises.”