The Hindu 15.06.2012
Metrowater to appoint consultant to bring in uniform water charges
In a bid to bring in uniformity in water charges
collected, as well as in the accounting systems in the expanded areas of
the city, Chennai Metrowater will soon appoint a consultancy firm. The
chosen firm will also identify and evaluate infrastructure and study the
facilities available in the added areas. Metrowater has entrusted this
work to the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited.
The
42 local bodies that were merged with the Chennai Corporation recently,
have different rates of monthly water charges collected from residents,
as well as different systems of accounting for these charges. For
instance, residents of Tambaram and Ambattur municipalities, which do
not have a water supply and sewerage network, paid Rs. 65 towards
monthly water supply charges. In Alandur, Rs.50.50 was collected for
water charges and Rs.100 towards sewerage charges.
At
present, Metrowater collects the same amount from the residents of the
merged areas as they were paying before the merger. In the city however,
the water agency collects Rs. 50 as monthly water charges.
Though
Metrowater had earlier conducted a survey earlier about the
infrastructure available in the newly added areas, officials of the
water agency said that the current comprehensive exercise would help
rationalise tax and charges collections and also help the agency
understand the needs of the residents in these areas.
For
the first time, Metrowater will begin valuing and verifying the assets
of individuals in the expanded areas through the consultant to evaluate
revenue collection.
The consultant will have to
identify assets and income, expenditure, outstanding loans of the local
bodies, and also furnish data on staff members. The firm will also have
to assess the status of projects in progress and provide complete
details of all consumers.
On an average, Rs.2 lakh is
remitted daily as water supply charges from the merged areas. However,
the accounting system continues to be manual in these areas, and the
firm will have to integrate the details of the consumers and the
accounts within a centralised computerised system, an official said.
Metrowater
will also be equipped with an exhaustive list of type of water supply
and sewerage facilities available in the expanded areas.
An
official said the consultant will also have suggest changes in tariff
structures as the water agency has to bear with additional expenditures
due to the merger.
The consultant will have to submit its report to Metrowater in four months.
