Bangalore: The BBMP, which has been going overboard on the collection of property tax arrears from defaulters, has, all the while, been dodging the payment of water bills to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
Sources in the BWSSB told Deccan Chronicle that the BBMP owes them over Rs 10 crore, including the interest on pending bills. The Palike features as a major defaulter on the BWSSB’s last Demand and Collection Balance (DCB) records.
As many as 15 prominent departments including HortiÂculture, DomÂestic and Educational Institutions, among others, have an outstanding amount of Rs 10.14 crore.
The interest on the outstanding amount has only made the debt mount, said an official from the BBMP. Earlier, he explained, the BWSSB would supply water for BBMP swimming pools.
The Palike, claiming the water tariff was too high, switched to private agencies, without bothering to clear their bills first. “With the addition of the interest, the BBMP now owes the water supply board Rs 3.28 crore only for the water used in swimming pools,” the official said.
According to official sources, the BBMP has outsourced agencies to maintain its swimming pools in areas like Sadashivanagar and Basavanagudi. These agencies supply borewell water at a much lesser price, he added. Apart from this, the BBMP also owes Rs 3.05 crore for non-domestic connections.
When DC contacted the concerned BBMP official, he admitted to the civic agency being a defaulter. That the BBMP is trapped in debt is an open secret, after all. “The BBMP doesn’t have enough funds to clear the pending bills and we are looking at different ways to raise the money,” he said.
