The Hindu 18.10.2010
Water board to strengthen vigilance wing
Special Correspondent
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is in the process of strengthening its vigilance wing to crack the whip on consumers having illegal connections.
Once the extended deadline for the voluntary disclosure scheme ends by October 31, the board will be launching ‘Operation Disconnection'.
For this, the vigilance wing will be strengthened with a DSP, five Inspectors and 50 constables. A proposal to this effect was sent to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah and approval obtained.
Police help
The required staff from the Police Department will be deputed to the water board shortly.
The board currently has a lone sub inspector and it is next to impossible for him to cover the entire city.
“Mere serving of notices is not enough. It has to be backed up with penal action”, said M. Jagadeeshwar, Managing Director of HMWSSB.
In the last couple of months, just 863 illegal connections were cut since it involves lot of digging and labour work not to speak of resistance from local people.
And some 4,200 persons have availed of the scheme and got their unauthorised connections regularised paying a penal fee of Rs. 2.5 crore.
This is peanuts considering the 25,000 illegal connections the board has set its sights on.
