Mumbai: Chembur building receives water bill of Rs 1.15 lakh

Surya Sadan, Chembur building, Chembur, Mumbai news, Mumbai, Rs 1.15 lakh water bill, BMC

For the month of October, residents of Surya Sadan building in Chembur were shocked to receive a water bill of Rs 80,000.

Since April, their water bill, which used to be around Rs 4,500 to 5,000 on an average, has skyrocketed (Copies of the last three months' water bills are with sunday mid-day) to amounts ranging between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1.15 lakh.

Surya Sadan building in Chembur

Upset with the inflated bills, residents lodged a complaint in M/west ward and got the meter checked in June. According to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official, on condition of anonymity, the local ward office tested the water meter and concluded it was functioning properly.

Ravindra Kuradia, a resident, said, "We are 10 families living in this three-storeyed building. It is evident that there is a mistake in the bill as we get the water supply from BMC two hours in the morning and evening respectively. It is not possible for us to consume so much water. Since April, the bill amount has varied between R50,000 and R1.15 lakh. This is 20 times our average bill of Rs 5,000."

Kuradia added, "Officials from the department said the meter is working fine and that the bill amount is correct. Last month in October, the bill was around Rs 80,000. This time, we have decided not to pay the bill. Four days ago, the ward officials came and even disconnected our water connection. We had to call for water tankers for our daily needs. We lodged a complaint for the second time on Friday."

While the water department of the BMC has agreed to recheck the meter and the water pipes, they restarted the water supply yesterday. An officer from water department of M/west ward, said, on condition of anonymity, "We will check the meter as well as the pipeline to check for water thefts. We will come to a conclusion after the inspection."