Stilt+4: In Gurugram, every floor set to have separate water connection

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, July 11

In a bid to curtail the menace of unlicensed non-taxed water supply, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram is all set to mandate separate water connections for all floors in four-storeyed buildings. The civic authority suffers a loss of around Rs 7 crore per month on account of unpaid water cess.

Though the MC has around 3.5 lakh properties registered with it, there are only 1.9 lakh registered water connections. In addition to pending bills, overburdened connections are majorly contributing to the loss. A recent survey by the MC revealed that it faced major issues in areas with maximum number of four-storeyed houses. While each unit belonged to a different resident, they had a common water connection, and in many cases, the number of bathrooms, etc., were under-mentioned. The areas include Sectors 17, 14, 15, 45, 37 and 10, Kirti Nagar, Saraswati Vihar, Chakkarpur and Maruti Vihar.

“Since they are separate houses, they need to have separate connections. This will not only help us assess the actual water needs of a house, but also help us generate revenue. Many areas which complain of poor water pressure have multi-storeyed houses, which, in many cases, are still paying the water tax for just one floor,” said MCG Commissioner PC Meena. The MC has ordered a multi-phase survey to identify such buildings and order new connections.

A senior official revealed that the situation was worse in licensed colonies and villages under the MC.

The electricity department has also moved the higher authorities to seek a separate meter for each floor. Many four-storeyed buildings, which have been rented out, have a single connection, with each floor having a sub-meter.

According to a senior power official, the load was undeclared and a majority of these areas were reporting infrastructural snags. “They are building four houses in a single plot, but have not increased the load or connections. This leads to major crises with heavy electrical equipment. If each unit needs to have a separate water connection, it should also have a separate power connection,” he said.

Power dept also pitches for separate meter

The electricity department has also moved the higher authorities to seek a separate meter for each floor. Many four-storeyed buildings have a single connection, with each floor having a sub-meter. The load is undeclared and a majority of these areas are reporting infrastructural snags.