Guntur Municipal Corporation to launch special drive to collect water tax dues

Guntur : Guntur Municipal Corporation will start a special drive very soon to collect water dues of Rs 17.12 crore in the city.

While demand for water tax is Rs 22.12 crore, the GMC revenue officials have collected dues of Rs 5.48 crore so far. The GMC will conduct special drive to collect Rs17.12 crore water tax dues from the residents and commercial consumers. Due to Covid-19, house owners did not pay water tax.

In addition to this, the GMC is not collecting interest on the water tax dues like on the property tax. Taking this advantage into consideration, the house owners are paying property tax to avoid interest. As a result, the water tax dues have accumulated. At present there are 1.14-lakh domestic tap connections and 3,256 commercial tap connections in Guntur city. The GMC is giving tap connections to all the houses and improved drinking water supply.

The GMC officials decided to give red notices to the house owners who have to pay water tax. The civic body will involve the revenue inspectors, revenue officers and deputy commissioners to mount pressure on the house owners to collect water tax dues.

Speaking to 'The Hans India', GMC additional commissioner P Niranjan Reddy said, "We will start a special drive to collect water tax dues.

Revenue officials are preparing water tax dues list at the ward level. We will involve revenue officers, revenue inspectors and higher officials in case of need to collect water dues. I have directed to issue red notices to the house owners who did not pay water tax dues."