In a bid to bring in uniformity in water charges collected, as well as in the accounting systems in the expanded areas of the city, Chennai Metrowater will soon appoint a consultancy firm. The chosen firm will also identify and evaluate infrastructure and study the facilities available in the added areas. Metrowater has entrusted this work to the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited.
The 42 local bodies that were merged with the Chennai Corporation recently, have different rates of monthly water charges collected from residents, as well as different systems of accounting for these charges. For instance, residents of Tambaram and Ambattur municipalities, which do not have a water supply and sewerage network, paid Rs. 65 towards monthly water supply charges. In Alandur, Rs.50.50 was collected for water charges and Rs.100 towards sewerage charges.
At present, Metrowater collects the same amount from the residents of the merged areas as they were paying before the merger. In the city however, the water agency collects Rs. 50 as monthly water charges.
Though Metrowater had earlier conducted a survey earlier about the infrastructure available in the newly added areas, officials of the water agency said that the current comprehensive exercise would help rationalise tax and charges collections and also help the agency understand the needs of the residents in these areas.
For the first time, Metrowater will begin valuing and verifying the assets of individuals in the expanded areas through the consultant to evaluate revenue collection.
The consultant will have to identify assets and income, expenditure, outstanding loans of the local bodies, and also furnish data on staff members. The firm will also have to assess the status of projects in progress and provide complete details of all consumers.
On an average, Rs.2 lakh is remitted daily as water supply charges from the merged areas. However, the accounting system continues to be manual in these areas, and the firm will have to integrate the details of the consumers and the accounts within a centralised computerised system, an official said.
Metrowater will also be equipped with an exhaustive list of type of water supply and sewerage facilities available in the expanded areas.
An official said the consultant will also have suggest changes in tariff structures as the water agency has to bear with additional expenditures due to the merger.
The consultant will have to submit its report to Metrowater in four months.
