Rangareddy: Water Board’s billing goof-up raises hackles of residents

Rangareddy : Residents in Jalpally municipality, located on the outskirts of the city, are expressing their frustration over receiving messages from the water board demanding payment for water bills and hefty arrears, despite having no connections.

This comes at a time when bore wells in most wards of Jalpally are failing to supply sufficient water due to the deepening of groundwater caused by the prevailing heat conditions. The residents feel shocked and perplexed by these messages from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), as they have been relying solely on groundwater for years and have not applied for or given any tap connections.

Syed Ghouse Hussain, a resident of Errakunta in Ward number 26 of Jalpally municipality, shared his frustration, stating, “We are completely shocked by the messages demanding payment of monthly bills with hefty arrears, considering we never applied for a tap connection approved by the water board. We have been solely dependent on groundwater. What is even more disheartening is the response of the concerned officials, who insist that we pay the bills if we want to have a connection.”

Another resident, Samad Bin Siddiq, a former Gram Panchayat Ward member, echoed the same sentiment. He said, “We obtained the connection just six months ago, but we have received a message from HMWSSB asking us to pay the monthly bill amount along with arrears for the past one and a half years, totaling Rs.6,156.55. Although the CAN number is correctly mentioned, there is an error in the name.”

Meanwhile, HMWSSB officials claim that the messages being sent to residents are generated based on municipal records.

Mohammed Sajid Ali, Manager (Engineering) of HMWSSB Jalpally Section, stated, “We are in the process of regularizing the municipal connections that existed before HMWSSB took over the area. As part of this process, we are sending messages to consumers with long-standing municipal connections. However, no specific reason has been provided for the issuance of these messages.”

Jalpally municipality, with a population of over one lakh, comprises 28 wards and faces significant water scarcity. Out of a total of 13,600 connections in the municipality, 4,000 were provided by the HMWSSB, while the rest fall under the Outer Ring Road (ORR) service, also known as municipal connections.