Indian Express 10.11.2010
MC plans to waive Horticulture Dept’s Rs 2.2 crore water bills
Khushboo Sandhu Tags : Municipal Corporation, MC, Horticulture Posted: Wed Nov 10 2010, 01:32 hrs
Chandigarh: After failing to recover pending Rs 2.2 crore dues against water bills to be paid by the Chandigarh Administration’s Horticulture Department, the Municipal Corporation (MC) is now planning to let go of the entire amount. Reason? The Horticulture Department has been transferred to the Municipal Corporation by the UT Administration with all its assets and liabilities.Water bills amounting to around Rs 8 crore are pending against various departments and individuals of the city. While the MC is swift enough to issue notices or even disconnect water connections when it comes to default by residents, the same agency has not been able to recover such a hefty amount of Rs 2.2 crore from another government department and now wants to waive it off.
The Horticulture Department owes MC Rs 2.2 crore for the last one decade. Water was being used for irrigation of gardens and green belts, under the control of the UT Administration, for which they were required to pay the water bills to the MC.
While for all these years the civic body could not recover the mounting bills, officials are now all set to waive it. Municipal Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria has hinted this at a recent house meeting.
Asked about the matter, Sunkaria said, “The issue of pending bills is still under consideration. A final decision is yet to be taken in this regard.” Councillors, however, do not seem to agree with this view and are of the opinion that the pending bills should be recovered from the UT Administration.
Said Councillor Chander Mukhi Sharma, “The water bills have been pending for more than a decade. Why were these bills not recovered earlier? The Municipal Corporation does not need to bear unnecessary liabilities. All the facts should be presented before the House and only then can a final decision be taken.”
From April to October this year, the MC managed to recover more than Rs 50 lakh out of a total outstanding amount of around Rs 8 crore. However, hindrances are already being faced in collecting bills from a number of government departments that have shifted their offices.
Repeated notices have not yielded much results. Apart from disconnection of water supply, the civic body has not been able to do much. Councillor Brig K S Chandpuri (Retd) pointed out that the rules should be the same for everyone. “While water supply to residents who do not pay bills is immediately disconnected, the civic body adopts a soft approach towards government departments. This should not be done and the bills should be recovered,” said Brig Chandpuri.
