Indore (Madhya Pradesh): As the deadline of August 24 for water cess waiver draws closer, Indore Municipal Corporation is now preparing to take stringent measures against defaulters.
Revenue Department in-charge Niranjan Singh Chauhan said that starting tomorrow, notices will be pasted on the houses of defaulters, and strict action will be taken to ensure compliance. The AROs have been instructed to meet their collection targets, and any illegal tap connections discovered during the process will result in action.
The urgency to recover the outstanding amount has increased following a stern warning from Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav. After expressing dissatisfaction with the low collection figures, the Mayor cautioned the revenue staff that failure to meet the targets could have serious consequences for their performance records.
The IMC, under its One Time Settlement Scheme, is offering a significant concession to water cess defaulters, yet the response has been underwhelming. Despite a target of collecting over Rs 100 crore, only Rs 9.88 crore has been deposited in the first 15 days of the scheme.
The One Time Settlement Scheme launched on August 5, allows defaulters to pay half of their outstanding water tax for the years up to 2022-23, with the remaining 50% being waived. The scheme also requires the payment of water tax for the years 2023-24 and 2024-25. Assistant Revenue Officers (AROs) and bill collectors from the Corporation’s 22 zones have been making door-to-door visits to encourage residents to settle their dues, but the response has been disappointing.
