Kerala Water Authority netted Rs. 45.36 crore last fiscal as water tax from consumers in four sub-divisions in Ernakulam district.
These include Pallimukku, Kaloor, Vyttila and Karuvelipadi. An official release said that the decision to cut water connection of defaulters and implementation of spot billing helped in increasing the revenue. The monthly earnings reached Rs. 5.62 crore by this March.
Disconnection drive which was stopped owing to the water adalat organised by the KWA, will resume on April 20. It will be carried out in areas under Kochi Corporation, Cheranalloor, Kadamakudi, Mulavukad, Chellanam and Kumbalangi panchayats. The authority will not permit defaulters to remit the arrears in instalments and they will have to now pay the entire amount to get the connection restored.
Only minimum charges were collected from consumers in Mulavukad, who had submitted requests at the water adalat held in the city.
The Executive Engineer of the Public Health Division of the authority lamented that Mulavukad residents were not showing the spirit they expressed while participating in agitations demanding water supply when it comes to paying their arrears. The share of arrears of consumers in the island is about Rs. 65 lakh.
The official also said that misuse of drinking water is rampant in Mulavukad . Water connections of consumers in Mulavukad and Kadamakudi panchayats, who have failed to remit the arrears, will be disconnected from Monday.