Get illegal water, sewer connections regularised, MC tells city residents

The Municipal Corporation (MC) has launched a strict drive against illegal water and sewerage connections in the city, warning that such connections will be disconnected if not regularised within the given deadline. The action follows directions from Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh and after a review meeting chaired by Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh with officials of the Water and Sewerage Department and recovery staff. The meeting reviewed survey reports on illegal connections and pending dues, taking serious note of the slow pace of work and negligence by certain staff members.

Additional MC Commissioner Surinder Singh instructed that officials survey newly developed colonies in their zones, identify illegal connections and issue three-day notices to property owners. “After the expiry of the notice period, strict disconnection action will be taken,” he said. He also ordered camps to be organised in coordination with the Property Tax Department to facilitate residents in regularising connections and clearing pending property tax.

A special meeting has been scheduled for August 14 to finalise further measures for regularising illegal connections and recovering dues. The Additional MC Commissioner revealed that revenue from the Water and Sewerage Department has risen sharply, from Rs 1.69 crore up to August 13 last year to Rs 4.42 crore during the same period this year, a jump of over Rs 3 crore.

Despite this increase, more than one lakh illegal water and sewerage connections remain in the city, along with a large backlog of unpaid bills. The MC aims to regularise these and get revenue.