Rangareddy: Water Board fails to shore up revenue in Rajendranagar area

Rangareddy : While the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Rajendra Nagar achieved 100 percent target in property tax collection, the operational division of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) in the same jurisdiction is struggling to meet the desired target despite being located in the fastest-growing enclave on the city outskirts.

The HMWSSB Division No.16, Rajendra Nagar, has a total of 42,221 connections in the entire operational area divided into two sub-divisions. Sub-division-I carries 28,652 connections in four sections, including Hyderguda, Budvel, Attapur, and Suleman Nagar. Similarly, another 13,569 connections exist in Mailardevpally and Katedhan areas under Sub-Division II.

Although all the six sections together made a demand of Rs.1.04 crore collections from the consumers per month, officials said only 50 percent is being collected every month.

“Out of a total of 42,221 connections in Division-16, there are 11,000 domestic consumers, mainly from slum areas of Rajendra Nagar. Of these, there are 38,000 paid consumer account numbers (CANs), but we are receiving payments from only 6,700 consumers. As a result, the monthly demand collection of over one crore rupees is settling down to somewhere between Rs. 80-90 lakhs every month,” informed C. Chandra Shekar, General Manager (Engineering), Operations and Maintenance Division – XVI, Rajendra Nagar.

Shekar attributed the deficit in collection to the 20,000 litres free water supply scheme.

He said they recorded a revenue collection of Rs111.18 lakh as against the demand of Rs210.62 lakhs in the month of March and pooled Rs99.93 lakhs in April as against the demand of Rs198.79 lakhs.

Apart from this, the official said bills to the tune of Rs6 crores are to be collected mainly from areas like Mailardevpally, Sulaimannagar, and Attapur, where most of the consumers are slum dwellers.

However, areas like Rajendra Nagar, Budvel, Hyderguda, and Katedhan sections are considered average players from where bill collection is not a big concern.