Deccan Chronicle      28.06.2010

Hyderabad, June 27: People using sewer network have to pay sewage cess to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board that maintains the sewer network in city hereafter.

Sewage cess will be levied from July 1. Presently, sewage cess is being paid by only those people having drinking water connection. Several individual houses, commercial establishments like cinema halls, showrooms, function halls, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and lodges among others, which do not have water connection, are using sewer network without any sewage cess being levied on them.

Now, the Water Board has decided to levy and collect sewage cess from all such category of consumers. The Water Board has got the permission to go ahead with sewage cess from the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah.

Since its inception the Water Board has been collecting sewage cess only from those having drinking water connections. The sewage cess is included in the monthly water bill, at the rate of 35 per cent of the total water bill. For example, the minimum monthly bill for domestic connection is Rs 126, of which Rs 90 is water tariff and remaining sewage cess including service charges.

The Board’s contention is though several establishments do not have water connection, they are using the sewerage network being maintained by the Board and are liable to pay sewerage cess.

Apart from commercial establishments, hospitals and nursing homes with 25 beds capacity will be levied with Rs 1,500, for 26-50 beds it will be Rs 2,000 and for 51-100 beds it will be Rs 10,000. Likewise, hotels and lodging with 50 rooms have to pay Rs 2,000 sewage cess, and those with rooms between 51 and 100 have to pay Rs 10,000.