Hyderabad: Non-bailable warrants have been issued for two consumers after their cheques, given for Water Board bill payments, bounced. This is the first time non-bailable warrants have been issued on Water Board consumers. “Though cheques issued by customers have bounced several times in the past, non-bailable warrants have been issued for the first time,” said, P.S. Suryanarayana, Water Board director (revenue). He added, “Usually, whenever a cheque issued by a customer is dishonored, they are served a legal notice. If the customer responds to the notice, the payments along with penalty are accepted. But when the customers fail to respond to legal notices, we go for legal proceeding in the court of law.”
The two consumers who were issued non-bailable warrants are N.P. Rao of Radhakrishnanagar and Syed Mohd from Ramanthapur, Hyderabad.
The Board will initiate similar action in other cheque bounce cases, if the consumers fail to clear their dues, said an official note from the Board.
The Water Board has been taking unprecedented measures to collect unpaid dues.
Though the Revenue Recovery (RR Act) Act was not invoked more than five times in 2013, in the last six months, the Act was invoked more than a dozen times.
The Board has also formed special teams to collect revenue dues and has also issued disconnection notices to hundreds of consumers.
“The Board has over Rs 1080 crore dues, including arrears, to be collected and has set a target of collecting Rs 100 crore each month. Hence, the RR Act will be invoked more frequently this time,” said a source from the Board adding, “In SR Nagar and Banjara Hills alone, over 700 notices have been served.”
