Hyderabad: Residents of the Secunder­abad Cantonment Board can hope for reduced water bills in the near future.

Brigadier
Sunil Bodhe, the SCB president,  has asked officials to examine the
possibility of reducing the water charges for the common man.

Referring
to the free water supply scheme being offered by the Aam Aadmi Party in
Delhi, Brigadier Bodhe asked officials on Wednesday to constitute a
committee comprising officials and elected ward members to study and
suggest the possibility of reducing the water bill charges which is Rs
315 per month for domestic category consumers.

He said it should
not be viewed as a move ahead of the elections and added that all state
governments were trying to reduce the financial burden of the common man
and the Secunderabad Cantonment Board too should not lag behind.

When
officials informed that the Cantonment Board was struggling to pay over
Rs 50 crore arrears to the Water Board towards connection charges and
water bill dues, and that a majority of people living in slums did not
pay their water bills regularly, Brigadier Sunil Bodhe said these
suggestions and recommendations could be made in the report to be
submitted by the committee that was to be constituted.

As on date,
the monthly water bill of SCB being paid to the Water Board towards
bulk supplies is Rs 1.20 crore per month. Revenues from bill collection
is Rs 1.27 crore per month.

“It may not be possible to reduce
water charges in the near future as the financial position of the Board
is not vibrant and there are still thousands of illegal water
connections that have to be brought in the database of the Cantonment.
However, in compliance with the Board president’s directions, we will
examine the possibility of reducing the water charges in future and a
detailed report will be submitted to him,” said Secunderabad Cantonment
Board chief executive officer Sujatha Gupta.