This story is from February 16, 2019

Secunderabad Cantonment Board seeks exemption from paying water bill

The cash-strapped Secunderabad Cantonment Board has knocked the doors of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), seeking exemption from paying monthly water bills for March and April.
Secunderabad Cantonment Board seeks exemption from paying water bill
(Representative image)
HYDERABAD: The cash-strapped Secunderabad Cantonment Board has knocked the doors of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), seeking exemption from paying monthly water bills for March and April.
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"Citing financial crisis, the SCB authorities told us in an official communication that the payment of water bills for two months will be made in May after funds are allotted by the ministry of defence," HMWS&SB director (revenue) B Vijay Kumar Reddy told TOI.
Stating they have, in principle, accepted SCB's request, Reddy said the SCB pays Rs 2.5 crore to the board towards monthly water bills.
But what led the SCB to this knee-jerk reaction? "Non-payment of regular water bills by consumers due to revised and hiked tariff, failure of installation of water meters, failure of ward members in convincing the consumers to pay the monthly water bills, regularisation of illegal water connections and failure to register FIRs against water thieves have led to the present mess," an SCB official told TOI.
He said that 60% of consumers in SCB have illegal water connections. "If these illegal water connections are regularised, we will rake in Rs 1.5 crore per month," he said.
Through its own water supply network, SCB provides potable water to 15,000 consumers by drawing water from pumphouses in 10 localities. For bulk supplies and to meet the needs of 3.5 lakh people, it depends on the water board. Military Engineering Services (MES) also supplies water to Army residential quarters and defence establishments in Cantonment jurisdiction.

A senior official pointed out that despite raids on illegal water connections, water thieves continued to thrive. "No FIR has been lodged against these thieves," he said.
Financial burden affects several key civic projects
Thanks to the burgeoning finance crunch, works on construction of CC roads, laying of water supply lines, maintenance and repairs for drainage network had to be stopped.
Though the SCB had passed resolutions during its last month’s board meeting for taking up works costing Rs 3 crore, work orders are being released slowly owing to shortage of funds. “The situation is such that SCB engineering wing officials are confined to the main office and not taking up civic works,” sources said.
A senior official told TOI that work orders were released for road repairs and filling up potholes. He, however, hastened to add that work orders to contractors were being halted only as a temporary measure. “Once we get funds, pending work orders will be issued by March-end so that important works will be taken up,” he said.
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