The Times of India            01.10.2013 

24 teams to recover dues

LUDHIANA: To recover pending dues amounting to Rs 220 crore as water and sewerage taxes, the MC has formed 24 teams for all four zones. The teams will start their drive from Tuesday and those who fail to pay the bills will have their connections disconnected.

Out the 24 teams, 12 each will be deployed in zone A and D, 9 in zone B and 7 in zone C. In a meeting of the senior MC officials, it was decided that the teams will visit the defaulters to check the bills and recover the pending amounts. Weekly reports in this regard will be submitted to the additional commissioner (technical).

To encourage team employees, the MC has also decided to reward the team which collects the maximum pending amount or reaches the given target. As per the records, water and sewerage bills amounting to Rs 220 crore are pending. It can help the MC to cover up its developmental works.

The matter came to light when during a survey regarding property tax it was found that many houses had illegal connections.

Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria said, "The pending bills will soon be recovered with the interest from the defaulters. If they still do not pay the dues on time, their connections will cut. We are also planning strict actions for illegal connections."