Water tax collection picks up pace, touches ₹140 crore for six months, online payment catching up

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has collected ₹140 crore as tax and charges in the half year ending September 30 and plans to mop up another ₹40 crore by month end

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has collected ₹140 crore as tax and charges in the half year ending September 30 and plans to mop up another ₹40 crore by month end.

The water board had set itself a target of ₹200 crore for water, sewer tax and charges collection for the current half year. It had earned a revenue of nearly ₹30 crore through remittance of tax and charges in the past one week.

Officials said the water board served about 14 lakh consumers in the city and added areas and about 80% of the payments were now made through online transactions. This was expected to be used to an optimum level once the new norm of no cash payments is in place from October 1. A total of 216 boxes would be placed near the cash counters at depot and area offices to facilitate consumers drop demand drafts or cheques, the officials said.

Besides special camps, the water agency had deputed a team comprising two deputy collectors, five deputy controllers of finance and 12 tahsildars along with field staff members for the collection drive. The team issued notices and recovered tax arrears, the officials said. Zone 5 had a maximum amount of tax arrears of ₹38 crore to be paid.

Meanwhile, some residents complained that they were asked to pay dues for old consumer numbers even as they paid tax for the premises with a new consumer number allotted after renovation. Similarly, some residents in the city received text alerts asking to pay tax linking address and name of another consumer.

Officials said such technical snags were being rectified. Complaints were also received on double entry of same consumer numbers in different zones after delimitation of wards.