MC funds run dry as bill defaulters make merry

The Municipal Corporation is yet to recover water bills worth around Rs 10 crore from various departments,institutes and individuals.

The Municipal Corporation is yet to recover water bills worth around Rs 10 crore from various departments,institutes and individuals. The biggest defaulter in this context is the UT Horticulture department that has pending bills amounting to Rs 1.61 crore. The Horticulture department uses water primarily to irrigate green belts and parks. According to MC officials,the payment of bills has been erratic since tubewells were installed in a number of parks to water plants.

Officials of the UT Public Health department blame a cock-eyed budget for the problem. While the expenditure incurred on maintenance is Rs 70 crore,the departments income is about Rs 50 crore. This gap hinders the smooth functioning of the department, said a health official.

The rate of default is also high in the rehabilitation colonies while miscellaneous bills amount to Rs 27 lakhs.

Mayor Kamlesh has a solution to the MC grievances. The process of bill recovery needs to be improved. The issue was discussed in the co-ordination committee meeting and we have asked the Administration to ensure that the pending bills are paid. Also,a decision was taken at the MC House meet to issue notices to defaulters and start the process of disconnecting

water supply.

Institution Pending bills

* UT Horticulture department Rs 1.61 crore

* CITCO ‘ Rs 23 lakh

* Punjab Civil Secretariat Rs 22.9 lakh

* UT Punjab Police Department Rs 16 lakh

* UT Public Health Department Rs 16 lakh

* Punjab Raj Bhawan Rs 12 lakh

* Sector 38 (W) Gurdwara Rs 3.75 lakh

* MC Electricity Operations Division 1 Rs 29 lakh

* MC Electricity Operations Division 2 Rs 50,000

* MC Electricity Operations Division 3 Rs 1.91 lakh