MCG cuts 195 illegal water connections, recovers Rs 1.29 lakh in penalties

Gurgaon: The MCG disconnected 195 illegal water connections across 36 wards during an enforcement drive carried out between April and May, while also issuing 30 challans and recovering around Rs 1.29 lakh in penalties for water misuse, according to civic body data.Ward 34 recorded the highest number of disconnections, with 67 unauthorised water connections cut during the drive. Ward 27 followed with 25 disconnections, while ward 7 recorded 19. Other major enforcement actions included 10 disconnections in ward 8, nine in ward 16, eight in ward 29, and seven each in wards 20, 21 and 25.Despite the large number of disconnections, only 30 challans were issued across the city during the review period.Ward 25 generated the highest penalty amount, with five challans leading to recovery of Rs 75,500. Ward 16 recorded nine challans amounting to Rs 25,000, while ward 4 also issued nine challans, collecting Rs 18,000. Additional recoveries included Rs 4,000 in ward 20, Rs 2,500 in ward 32, and Rs 2,000 each in wards 12 and 17.Several wards, however, reported no disconnections during the campaign, including wards 1, 5, 6, 9, 11, 14, 18, 19, 22, 24, 26, 32, 35 and 36, indicating uneven enforcement across the city.“The campaign is aimed at curbing water theft, reducing non-revenue water losses and improving supply management. Inspections and enforcement will continue in the coming months,” an MCG official said.The drive comes amid mounting pressure on the civic body’s water finances. MCG recently implemented revised water tariffs for 2024-27, introducing an annual hike of around 5% across residential, commercial, industrial and institutional categories from April 1.The corporation has increased the allocation for bulk water purchases from GMDA by 35% to Rs 135 crore for 2026-27. However, officials said MCG spent over Rs 260 crore on bulk water procurement in 2025-26, far exceeding its budget estimates.While the corporation generated around Rs 56 crore against a target of Rs 50 crore from water and sewerage charges in 2025-26, it has now set a higher revenue target of Rs 80 crore for the current fiscal year.