GVMC lags behind in water tax collection

Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has been lagging behind in household water tax collections. In the last three years, it could only realise some 30 to 40 per cent of the collectable demand.

In the 2016-17 financial year, the corporation has succeeded in collecting only Rs 14 crore as opposed to the annual target of Rs 48 crore as of date. From the corresponding periods’ tax collection in 2015-16 and 2014-15, the GVMC is yet to realise Rs 33 crore and Rs 28 crore respectively.

GVMC commissioner M. Hari Narayanan told the media here on Wednesday that the corporation is spending Rs 5 crore on electricity bills itself to pump water from the Godavari as well as Yeleru reservoir.

“We have drafted a summer action plan and will make sure there is no water scarcity in the city. A large part of the civic body’s spending of funds is on water supply. When it comes to property taxes, we have been realising 95 per cent of the targeted tax each year. But that is not the case with water taxes. Now, I urge the people to cooperate with the GVMC and pay household taxes on time, so that we can take up various development works,” said Mr Hari Narayanan.

The corporation will likely take up the Yeleru canal desiltation works from March 1 to augment its capacity with about '5 crore. The canal will be temporarily closed for one month and water will be drawn from other reservoirs of the city as an alternative.

“The silt has reduced the supplying capacity of the canal by 50 per cent. In view of the proposed Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme (PLIS) on Godavari, we need to augment its capacity,” said Mr Hari Narayanan.