SECUNDERABAD: For the first time, officials of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) decided to collect ‘road cutting’ charges from residents to lay a new water ocnnection.
In a board meeting, chaired by the president cantonment board (PCB), Brig Abhijit Chandra, on Monday, a resolution for collecting road cutting charges was passed unanimously.
An amount of Rs 732.50 per running meter will be collected as uniform road cutting charges towards excavation, road cutting and restoration with cement concrete, a SCB water wing official, told TOI. The new uniform road cutting charges will come into force immediately, and property owners, who are applying new water connections, have to pay it, through ‘e-Chhawani’ by logging into the SCB portal, added the official.
Explaining the procedure, the official said, after receiving an application for new water connection from the applicant, the SCB technical water wing team will visit the and measure length between main water source and consumer’s premise. Then road cutting charges will be collected, said the official.
The newly-nominated civilian member and BJP state executive committee member, J Rama Krishna, opposed the imposition of road cutting charges and said it was an additional burden on consumers.
Meanwhile, PCB Brig Abhijit Chandra, who expressed unhappiness over delaying the extension of 20KL free water supply scheme in the Cantonment, asked the Cantonment MLA, to get clearance from the HMWS&SB. PCB also raised the issue of transfer of property tax, which the state government was supposed to pay to the SCB.
Rama Krishna, took oath ahead to the Board meeting as a nominated civilian member. Several annual e-tenders to take up works, including lifting of debris, hiring vehicles for door-to-door garbage collection and road repairs and potholes, were approved.
