The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has intensified its water bill recovery drive to meet its annual revenue target. As part of the campaign, the Water Supply Department disconnected 129 water connections on Wednesday and another 120 on Thursday due to pending dues. During these two days, the department collected over Rs 3.75 crore as penalties and outstanding payments.
Recently, TMC Commissioner Saurabh Rao held a meeting with senior officials of various departments and directed them to achieve the recovery target by the end of March. Under this ongoing drive, from April 1, 2024, to March 27, 2025, a total of 12,910 water connections have been disconnected in the TMC jurisdiction. Additionally, 2,366 motor pumps have been seized and 676 pump rooms sealed.
The civic body has warned defaulters that if the pending water bills, including current dues, are not cleared by the end of March, their water supply will be disconnected in the first week of April. The administration clarified that the waiver scheme offering 100% exemption on administrative charges, penalties, and interest will remain valid only till March 31, 2025, and will not be extended next year.
Suburban Engineer Vinod Pawar informed that strict action is being taken against large housing complexes, towers, and commercial establishments. He also mentioned that the benefit of the “Abhay Yojana” (amnesty scheme) is being extended to the citizens, which is valid till March 31. So far this year, 13,402 notices have been issued to defaulters.
A senior TMC official informed that the revenue target for the Water Supply Department for the financial year 2024-25 was set at Rs 225 crore. However, till Thursday, the corporation has managed to recover only Rs 138.50 crore. While this collection is Rs 13 crore higher compared to the same period last year, a large amount of dues still remain pending.
