Water connection: Compound houses with single tax assessment in a fix

Madurai: With Madurai city gearing up for the keenly awaited AMRUT Mullaperiyar drinking water scheme, many residents who live in compound houses and flats are in a fix. Though there are several houses or flats in a compound, many have only single property tax assessment, which bars them from getting more than one drinking water connection under the scheme.The main drinking water pipelines have been laid under package 4 of the scheme in most of the added areas of the corporation. A total of 1.18 lakh household connections are planned under the package 4 for extension areas and 1.63 lakh under package 5 for core areas. A senior corporation official said that for apartments, one connection is given for four houses if they have proper assessments.Residents associations in the added areas say the corporation should consider taking an assessment again and link more households. P Sudhakar, secretary of Jawaharpuram residents’ association, said they are now ready to get two assessments. “But if the distribution lines are laid before we get assessed, the process to get a separate connection will be tedious. We have to dig the road again which will also increase the cost,” he added.Councillors say many residents who still reside on non-patta land will also not get water connections. “There are more than 1,400 houses in my own ward which don’t come under tax assessment. Many such residents are coming with complaints.” Saravana Bhuvaneshwari, zonal chairperson of Madurai north, said. She quoted corporation officials as saying that if water connection is given for non-tax assessees it may be used to claim rights on the land.Councillors in added areas like west zone where new constructions are mushrooming demand that the corporation extend the pipeline in advance keeping the future in view. “When the assessment was taken, there were fewer houses, but now many new areas like Poonkundran Nagar and Amaidhi Cholai have developed in west zone. We need more household connections and distribution lines for such areas,” V Suveetha, zonal chairperson of Madurai west, said.M P Sankara Pandian, a civic activist, said it is not a good idea to give more connections for one assessment when the corporation has a fund crunch. “The corporation should conduct a drive and increase the assessments before giving household connections,” he said.A senior corporation official said compound houses which have more units in a small area can get two connections if they can divide the assessment into ground floor and first floor. “Many residents have avoided assessments to pay less tax which is now reflecting in the connections. We can give them more connections if they are ready to get additional assessment after proper verification,” said the official. As for residents on non-patta land, the official said a solution is being evolved if they are not residing in water body encroachments.