Water connection rules simplified

By T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI, DEC. 20. The Chennai Metrowater has simplified rules in effecting water and sewer connections to consumers. From now onwards, single application will suffice for both water and sewer connections. The same forms can be used for shifting or renewal of the existing service connections also.

(The tariff table for water and sewer connections was carried in these columns on Wednesday. The charges remain unchanged).

All applications will be sanctioned in two days and work orders issued in a week, based on declarations made by the applicants, without site inspection irrespective of built-up area and usage.

The practice of inspecting the sites, measuring more than 200 sqm. prior to giving the connections has been dispensed with. The period for sanction has been fixed as 30 days from the date of registration whereas it was 45 days earlier in the case of the units having more than 200 sqm.

Printed intimation cards will be sent to consumers regarding sanction. If connections are not effected within a month, the applicants can approach any of the officers mentioned in the cards. The charges for the connections can be made not only at the extension branch of Canara Bank at the Metrowater's headquarters but also at 10 more branches of the Bank where areawise accounts are maintained.

Self-explanatory forms containing a model tariff calculator will be distributed so that the applicants can fill the forms on their own, and there will be no need for the public to come to the head office to collect challans. For computing the charges, residential buildings will be broadly split into "upto 200 sq m." and "more than 200 sqm." while the area non-residential structures will be converted into equivalent dwelling units, depending on their categories.

To convert the existing hand pump connections into sump connection, consumers will have to pay Rs. 200 towards testing and fixing of meters, in addition to buying meters on their own. The details on the simplified rules are available on the Metrowater website (www.chennaimetrowater.com).

Explaining the new rules, Mr. C.P. Singh, Managing Director of Metrowater, said going by the trend in the past, most of residential buildings fell under the category of "upto 200 sq m." For this category, the practice of inspection was done away with two years ago. Even for the other category, the condition has now been lifted.

On an average, 10,000 water connections are given every year in the last four years. The domestic category alone contributed Rs. 18 crores to the Metrowater annually.

Asked as to how the Metrowater would ensure that applicants had installed rainwater harvesting (RWH) mechanism at their premises, Mr. Singh said the forms had an undertaking clause regarding RWH. ``Though we will carry out a random check, we place our reliance on the word of consumers'', he added.

He said the RWH system had been put up in about 140 buildings in the past four months. ``Even though there is an appreciable rise in public awareness on the concept, much remains to be done on the ground''.

On the progress of an independent survey on the services of Metrowater, Mr. Apurva Varma, Executive Director, said the first quarterly draft report would be ready shortly.

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