FGG Demands Clearance Of 2,000 Crore Water Dues

The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) today urged Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to take immediate action to recover long-pending water and sewerage charges from various State and Central government departments.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy said that while ordinary citizens were being compelled to pay double charges - water and drainage tax under GHMC and water charges under HMWSSB - several government departments had defaulted for years.

"According to HMWSSB data, State government departments owe Rs 1,764.18 crore, while Union government organisations and PSUs owe Rs 250.23 crore. Major defaulters include Mission Bhagiratha (Rs 1,011.30 crore), the PR&RD department (Rs 377.29 crore), the health department (Rs 109.69 crore), the housing department (Rs 57.55 crore) and the home department (Rs 40.86 crore)," Reddy said.

Reddy said that it was "ironic and unjust" that while common people were forced to pay on time, government offices and staff quarters continued to enjoy services without payment despite such huge dues.

"As per Section 199 of the GHMC Act, citizens must pay property tax, which covers general, water, drainage, lighting and conservancy taxes. Additionally, the HMWSSB levies separate charges for water and sewerage. This effectively forces citizens to pay water and drainage charges to two agencies for the same service. The rules however seem to be ignored for the massive defaulters," Reddy said.

He said that the non-payment of dues had pushed the HMWSSB into financial stress, potentially affecting water supply and sewerage services, and requested the Chief Minister to direct all departments to clear the dues without further delay.