Mumbai: The BMC will be appointing a team of women self-help groups to recover water tax arrears from defaulters in slum areas. These teams will be first deployed in the M East ward (Govandi and some parts of Chembur) on a pilot basis. The team will create awareness among the residents in slums about paying taxes on time.
The civic body supplies 3,900 million litres of water to the city daily. This year, the civic body has set a target of collecting Rs1,965 crore from water and sewerage charges. There are more than four lakh water consumers in Mumbai. According to the BMC records, Rs975 crore has yet to be recovered from several consumers since March 2016. In the case of non-payment of water bills, 2% additional charges are levied on the arrears of water bills every month after the due date. While it is waived off under an amnesty scheme.
“We have received administrative approval for woman-self-help group and started the process of appointing such groups. If these groups are able to recover the arrears, then we will extend it to other wards,” said a senior civic official.
At present, the civic body charges Rs6 for 1,000 litres of water for residential use and Rs50 for 1,000 litres for commercial and industrial use.
