The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has, on Saturday, announced its decision to wield the stick of punishing the bill defaulters, even while offering the carrot of accepting Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes to meet their pending water bills.
The Managing Director M. Dana Kishore at a departmental meeting on Saturday issued directions to the officials to select and disconnect the water supply to top five defaulters in each division. He asked the General Manager (Engineering) of the Operations & Management wing to ensure that the top officials visit at least 10 customers personally. Even while offering an opportunity to pay off the pending bills in the demonetised currency denominations up to November 14, Mr. Dana Kishore has warned defaulters of over six months’ bills will be punished through disconnections from November 15 onwards. Hundred special ‘Red Brigade Disconnection Gangs’ will be constituted to carry out the disconnections.
Cash collection counters
Cash collection counters will remain open till 8 p.m. in the Old City, and up to 7 p.m. in rest of the city, he said, and added that the new 15-inch individual domestic connection charges will be collected in cash counters. If revenues improve, the Board can take up new projects of GIS mapping, study on non-revenue water, and geo-tagging of manholes, which together cost Rs.15 crore, Mr. Dana Kishore informed. In a separate release, the Board has informed that it has received a record collection of Rs.15 crore in a single day on November 11, owing to the decision to accept Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes for the pending water bills.
A total of 53,000 customers have paid bills through various means, including NEFT transfers and RTGS. Mr. Dana Kishore held two tele-conferences and motivated the staff towards increased revenue collection. He also made rounds of the cash collection centres, the note informed.
