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Secunderabad Cantonment Board, Water Board in bill arrear row

Cantonment Board fails to pay monthly installments of Rs 5 crore to clear dues

Hyderabad: The Water Board is at loggerheads with the Secunderabad Cantonment Board over water bill arrears of Rs 30 crore.

In January this year, the SCB had assured to pay the outstanding amount in monthly installments of Rs 5 crore, but has been paying only Rs 2 crore.

The SCB insists that it be treated on par with GHMC consumers and be charged Rs 7 per kilo litre of water. “In addition to the over 4.8 lakh consumers, there are several slums in the region. The water Board should consider SCB as a municipality according to the 2006 Cantonment Board Act,” said a senior SCB official.

P.S. Suryanarayana, the director (revenue), Water Board, said, “It is not that the Water Board is charging exorbitantly. It is supplying water at a subsidised rate. The cost of production per kilo litre of water is Rs 40. However, the present cost to SCB Rs13.50 was calculated based on norms and conditions. Also, Rs 7 is charged for water supplied to BPL families and Rs 10 for others. An additional Rs 3.5 is being charged as the SCB is not under GHMC limits.”

Meanwhile, residents of Mahindra Hills and other regions in SCB have been left in the lurch as the new pipelines that were laid are dry due to the fight between the Water Board and SCB.

While SCB officials say that the new pipelines were laid in consultation with the Water Board, the latter insists that the arrears be paid first.

( Source : adepu mahender | dc )
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