Illegal connections to be regularised

VADODARA, July 30: An estimated 20,000 unuathorised water and drainage connections in the city will be regularised by the Vadodara Munici...

VADODARA, July 30: An estimated 20,000 unuathorised water and drainage connections in the city will be regularised by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation by levying a fine on the defaulters.

A decision to this effect was taken in the Standing Committee, which met on Thursday under the chairmanship of N V Patel. The final nod, however, will be given by the General Board.

Although there is no exact record, conservative estimates indicate that there are nearly 20,000 illegal water and drainage connections.

Though the Committee approved the proposal, it reduced by 75 per cent the fine suggested by Municipal Commissioner G R Aloria. Patel told reporters that the fine was lowered as an incentive to those who voluntarily disclosed their unauthorised connections before December 31. After this, the fine and connection charges suggested by the administration will be levied.

Asked why the incentive was being offered when the original proposal said unauthorised connections had to be voluntarily disclosed, Patel said it was to encourage people. After December 31, the Corporation would survey unauthorised connections, he added.

The administration had proposed to levy Rs 2,000 as fine on residential houses with half-inch unauthorised water connections and Rs 500 connection charges. It was suggested that the fine be Rs 4,000 and the connection charge for 3/4th inch illegal connections be Rs 750.

It was proposed to fine Rs 8,000 and Rs 1,000 towards connection charges for one-inch connection holders and Rs 16,000 and Rs 2,000 for two-inch connections respectively.

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The administration proposed to charge non-residential users Rs 4,000, Rs 8,000, Rs 16,000 and Rs 32,000 for half-inch, 3/4 inch, one-inch and two-inch connections respectively. The connection charges will be Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500, Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 respectively.

Residential unauthorised drainage connection holders will have to pay Rs 2,500 as fine and Rs 1,000 towards connection charges after December 31. Non-residential unauthorised connection holders will have to pay Rs 5,000 fine and Rs 2,000 connection charges after the deadline.

While the Committee passed the proposal with some suggestions, it also directed the administration to submit a separate proposal for regularising unauthorised water and drainage connections of high rise buildings. The Committee also resolved that the Corporation should give water and drainage connections to houses built under section 21 of the ULCRA Act despite the fact that they do not have no objection certificates.

Patel said drainage and water connections in existing such houses should also be regularised.

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Regularising such connections was one of the suggestions of the ruling BJP in the civic budget for 1997-98. Although the Corporation had started to formulate a proposal some six months ago, it needed to be changed for some specifications.

In another decision, the Committee members finalised the unit rates for the supply of pebbles and sand for road works from administrative ward numbers 2 to 10. Patel said the lowest rate quoted by a contractor in a particular ward will be applicable to all the contractors. If the contractors do not accept the rates, the contract will be given to contractors who have quoted the lowest rates in those particular wards.

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