SCB cuts water to defaulters, aims to recover Rs 6 crore

The Secunderabad Cantonment Board has launched a disconnection drive to recover Rs 6 crore in pending water bills. With 28 per cent of consumers defaulting, the SCB is cutting supply, urging settlements, and offering rebates to improve finances.

Hyderabad: Fund-starved Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has, for the first time, initiated a special drive to disconnect the water connections of consumers who have defaulted on paying their water bills.

The SCB water wing aims to recover outstanding dues amounting to nearly Rs 6 crore and improve its financial situation through this initiative. As part of the drive, officials have begun disconnecting water connections for overdue amounts across all eight SCB wards.

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According to SCB water wing records, 36,000 registered consumers receive monthly water bills based on their water consumption, of whom 28 per cent have failed to clear their long-pending dues.

“We have served notices thrice to the defaulters and urged them to pay the arrears as the Cantonment Board’s financial situation is poor. But the customers ignored the notices completely,” SCB Water Wing superintendent S Raj Kumar told *Telangana Today*.

The drive commenced in the residential colonies of the Cantonment and will extend to other areas in the coming weeks. Residents with outstanding bills of more than a year will be prioritised for disconnection, he said.

Moreover, the SCB enhanced water supply up to 1 million gallons per day in addition to the existing quantities, but customers still did not pay the monthly bills. “It has become a tough task for us to meet the expenditure for repair and maintenance of the water supply network to quench the thirst of nearly 4 lakh people,” said the SCB official.

Officials have initiated a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for clearing pending water bills and also offered a 10 per cent rebate on the total outstanding amount for water consumers. However, the response to this scheme from consumers has been lukewarm.

Soon after the drive started, defaulters whose water connections had been disconnected were seen rushing to the SCB office to clear their dues, said an officer who is taking part in the drive.

The drive to disconnect water connections has sparked mixed reactions among the residents of the Cantonment. While some applaud the SCB’s efforts to enforce bill payments, others express concerns over the potential impact on households facing genuine hardships.

A proposal for the shortlisted defaulters displayed on the notice board and the SCB portal is under active consideration and will be implemented in a day or two, said an official. The SCB urged all defaulters to settle their bills promptly to avoid disconnection and ensure continued access to water services.