Excess water bills: NMC to hold on-the-spot correction camps

Nagpur: Facing mounting backlash over inflated water bills, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has announced special camps across zonal offices to address consumer grievances, offering relief to thousands affected by excessive billing. Standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare said on Friday that the civic body will facilitate on-the-spot corrections and ensure that excess payments are adjusted in future bills.The issue of inflated bills — in several cases up to five times the usual bill amount — triggered sharp reactions during Friday's standing committee meeting. Members pointed out that despite a resolution passed in the March general body meeting directing corrections, many consumers continue to receive unrevised bills. Concerns were also raised over erratic water supply and delays in restoration works, compounding public frustration.Cutting across party lines, corporators criticised the administration for its delayed response. Dani Wakhare sought an explanation from water supply department superintendent engineer Shweta Banerjee, while members including BJP corporator Sadhana Barde, Aslam Khan, Abhijit Jha, Abhishek Shambharkar and Wasim Khan demanded immediate rollback of the inflated bills.According to official figures, as many as 25,643 consumers have been affected. The anomaly was flagged in a report submitted by Orange City Water (OCW), which attributed the issue largely to the absence of functional water meters in several areas, leading to arbitrary billing. Members questioned why corrective steps were not initiated earlier despite the issue being identified internally.Under pressure, the administration conceded lapses and assured corrective action. Dani Wakhare said Banerjee informed the meeting that revised bills would be issued, while any excess amount already paid would be adjusted in subsequent billing cycles. The proposed camps are expected to fast-track grievance redressal at the local level.The worst-hit areas include East Nagpur, where Satranjipura zone alone accounts for 6,841 affected consumers, followed by Lakadganj (1,571). In North Nagpur, Ashi Nagar reported 6,439 such cases, while other impacted zones include Nehru Nagar (3,201), Gandhibagh (2,604), Dharampeth (1,568), Laxmi Nagar (804), Hanuman Nagar (637) and Dhantoli (793).
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