Organisation highlights water theft in Kolhapur

Kolhapur: City-basedsocial organisationPrajasattak Samajik Sewa Sanstha has written to KMC commissioner Rajendra Bharud complaining of a huge gap between the total water drawn for Kolhapur city and the actual water billed.Dilip Desai from Prajasattak Samajik Sewa Sanstha said, "The water theft issue was raised by the Prajasattak Samajik Sewa Sanstha over a decade ago. Subsequently, the then-water supply engineer closed about 3,500 unauthorised tap connections. But ten years later, these unauthorised taps were reconnected and so, the water theft continues."Desai demanded that a physical inspection of the water usage at the customer's home should be done."A family of four is expected to receive a bill of at least Rs 600 to 800 every two months. The pipes connected to the meter should be checked. Wherever water theft is observed, a 10-year bill and a fine of at least Rs 1,000 per two months must be collected. Customers who do not pay this bill should be penalised and criminal offences should be registered," added Desai.Speaking over this, KMC water supply engineer Harshjit Ghatge said, "Free water is supplied to as many as 38 establishments of the municipal corporation. There are 1.6 lakh tap connections in Kolhapur and nearly Rs4 crore worth of water bills is collected every month. However, the total expenditure is Rs8 crore as the pumping stations have become old and require frequent maintenance. This is the reason why there are differences seen in the water lifted and the bills charged."