The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Issues relating to water charges may intensify

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Monday, Sep 29, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Issues relating to water charges may intensify

K. Lakshmi

CHENNAI: Several people living in mixed residential buildings, which also host commercial establishments, are confronted with problems pertaining to water charges. With a steady increase in the number of such buildings in the city, people say such issues are only bound to intensify.

A common complaint of the residents across the city is about difference in water charges collected from domestic establishments and complexes identified as partly commercial.

Residents of West Mambalam say while households are levied Rs.50 as water charges every month, residents of complexes categorised as ‘partly commercial’ by the Chennai Metrowater pay Rs.150.

C. Raghavan of West Mambalam questions the logic behind making residents of partly commercial buildings pay more, be it metered or non-metered connections, though their consumption levels may be the same as that of domestic consumers. However, water and sewerage tax are collected on the basis of property tax assessed by the Chennai Corporation.

Some shop owners in Ayanavaram say though they do not have water facility, they have to pay commercial rates.

People living in mixed residential buildings also run the risk of disconnection of service lines owing to non-payment of tax or charges by commercial establishments in their building.

A resident of an apartment complex in T. Nagar says, “The flat owners pay tax and charges regularly. But, we recently faced the threat of having our water and sewer lines disconnected as the shop owners on the same premises failed to clear their arrears.”

Minimal interaction

With interaction between the residents and the shops minimal, even nil in most cases, it is difficult to make the shop owners understand the problems that the households face when they default on the payment.

Residents suggested that water charges could be assessed separately for commercial and residential premises in the same complex as is done in the case of water tax.

Metrowater officials say of the about six lakh tax assesses, there are about 49,000 households identified as partly commercial connections. The disconnection of lines is not done immediately. Defaulters are reminded to pay the arrears and cutting off the supply is resorted to as a final step.

Issues related to providing separate bills for water charges in the partly commercial category will be looked into, the officials say.

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