Water supply wing of MC registers decline in revenue

In an effort to boost revenue, the water supply wing of the Municipal Corporation was converted into a limited company — Amritsar Urban Water and Waste Water Management Limited —- three years back. However, instead of improving income, the department has seen a 40 per cent decline in revenue compared to the previous year. Due to flaws in the M-Seva software, along with acute staff shortages, recovery efforts were significantly hampered. Last year, the department earned Rs 12 crore, but this year, the figure dropped to Rs 7.12 crore.

The company had set an annual income target of Rs 20 crore. To streamline operations, it phased out physical billing and began sending bills via SMS two years ago. The issue of faulty software was raised in a recent board meeting of the company. The Municipal Commissioner has been asked to submit a report to the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC). Additionally, the department does not currently have an updated list of defaulters, further complicating recovery efforts.

Out of the required 30 employees to recover bills across 85 wards, the department currently operates with only 18 employees. The impact of staff shortage was particularly felt this year, as 19 employees were either retired, promoted, transferred or are deceased. Currently, only three clerks are handling administrative tasks.

The M-Seva portal’s malfunctioning has disrupted accurate bill generation, and the Point-of-Sale (POS) machines provided to field staff are not properly connected to the network. Both these factors are contributing to declining collections, said an employee of MC water supply wing.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner Rajinder Sharma stated that efforts are on to meet both the current and next financial year’s budget targets by intensifying recovery and addressing technical and staff related issues. Notices have already been issued to some users, and a list of defaulters is being prepared, he added.

Amritsar