The Times of India            05.08.2013

PCMC comes up with fresh plan for water tax defaulters

PUNE: With over Rs 80 crore yet to be recovered in water taxes, the water supply department of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has prepared another plan to regularize over 10,000 unauthorised connections in the city.

The water supply department's proposal will come up for discussion at the standing committee meeting on Tuesday.

The municipal corporation's earlier amnesty scheme, which ended in April this year, had received a poor response with only 900 connections regularized. The response dwindled after the fine amount was doubled. The PCMC was to disconnect unauthorized water connections and take legal action against the defaulters if they fail to pay the prescribed charges and fines till April 30, 2013. The fact is that there are an estimated 10,000 unauthorized water connections in Pimpri-Chinchwad till date.

Pravin Ladkat, executive engineer with the water supply department, said that the corporation has decided to give one more chance to defaulters. This time, the scheme has been modified. The civic body will disconnect water connections of those who do not apply for regularization till October 30, 2013. They will also be required to either repair their existing faulty meters or install new water meters at their own expense. These customers will be enrolled into the computerized water meter billing system only after they have procured a functional water meter.