The Hindu 16.12.2010
Online registration for water connections soon
J.S. Ifthekhar
Hyderabad: Getting a new water connection will be hassle-free now.
One need not have to visit the water board office to submit application
and then follow it up. You can do it from the comfort of your house.
Transparency
To make it customer-centric, the water board has decided to dispense
with the single window system and go online. Powers to accord new
connections will be delegated to divisional managers in the near future.
The idea is to eliminate the manual element and make the whole
process transparent. From the moment one applies for a new connection,
one can track the status of his application at every stage. Like the
Passport office, applicants will be given a slot with a particular day
and time when he has to present the relevant documents for verification.
Once the application is accepted customers will get an SMS alert and
also the name of green brigade contractor who will execute the work.
“We want to build accountability into our system and make it more
customer-friendly,” said HWSSB Managing Director M. Jagadeeshwar.
Huge pendency
At present, there is a huge pendency of applications with the Single
Window cell – 3,696 to be precise. These applications are pending for
the last five to six months for different reasons. In some cases,
sanction is given but the customers have not paid the fee, in a few
cases tenders have to be called and in some cases GHMC permission is
required for road cutting.
Once the online registration is introduced, there will be no manual
movement of files with the result the procedural delays will be cut
down.
The water board is now in the process of modifying its existing
software to suit online operation. “In the next couple of months, the
new system will be in place,” Mr. Jagadeeshwar said.
The Single Window cell is saddled with the job of generating CANs for
the 7,200 applications received under the voluntary disclosure scheme,
for 3,000 PSPs and charities, 2,000 only sewerage connections and 100
filling stations.
Charge memos issued
The board has issued charge memos to the general managers concerned
for the pendency. Once the online system comes into place, authorities
hope, there will be no pendency at all.
