KOCHI: Through effective measures, the Kerala Water Authority Kochi city division (PH division), including corporation area and five panchayats, has achieved record revenue collection. In June, the total revenue collection was Rs 5.62 crore, which is Rs 96 lakh higher than the Thiruvananthapuram division.
Thiruvananthapuram used to top the revenue collection chart. During the first quarter of the current fiscal, the PH division could garner more than Rs 15 crore in comparison with Rs 8.85 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.
The five panchayats under the PH division are Mulavukadu, Kadamakkudy, Cheranalloor, Chellanam and Kumbalangi.
“The increase in revenue collection is due to the strict action taken against bill defaulters and unauthorised connections. In the last three months, more than 500 connections of defaulters were disconnected in the city areas. However, BPL families won’t be affected as 15 kilo litres of water per month is free for them,” said Jessy Jose, executive engineer, KWA.
The officials have been instructed to disconnect all connections of consumers who failed to pay bills even after the last date for remittance.
“While the KSEB consumers are prompt in paying power bills, they are lax in remitting KWA bills. The strict measures taken against defaulters helped to create seriousness in paying water bills. The efforts of the non-revenue water management (NRWM) unit of KWA also helped to plug revenue loss,” added the KWA official.
The KWA is conducting an intensive arrear clearance drive from July 1 to October 31. Two separate revenue collection campaigns will be introduced for Kadamakkudy and Mulavukadu.
Since additional water is being supplied in Kumbalangi and Chellanam as part of the trial run of JNNURM Piravom project, all illegal connections without water metres or tampered metres will be disconnected soon, informed the KWA official. This will help to resolve the drinking water scarcity to a certain extent.
Connection will not be restored until the dues are fully paid and the authority has imposed restrictions on permitting making part payment of the dues.
The KWA official requested consumers to clear bill dues to avoid penal action like disconnection and revenue recovery.
