Prayagraj: The Jal Kal department is preparing to tighten the noose around major water tax defaulters, including four prominent hotels that owe dues running into lakhs of rupees. Officials say that despite being among the city’s top revenue earners, these establishments failed to clear their pending water and sewer bills, prompting the department to initiate strict recovery measures.The crackdown comes at a time when the department is offering a comprehensive interest waiver scheme to encourage consumers to clear outstanding payments. Authorities urged residents to deposit pending water and sewer bills, even in installments, to avoid punitive action.In the first phase, the department has already cut sewer connections of 30 houses and water connections of 27 properties. In the coming weeks, the officials have planned a large-scale disconnection drive. Executive engineer Shivam Mishra said that once a connection is disconnected, it will not be restored until the entire outstanding amount is cleared. The department will also conduct follow-up inspections to prevent illegal reconnections. In cases where consumers attempt to restore supply without authorisation, penalties will be imposed.If defaulters continue to ignore notices, the department may seek administrative intervention for property attachment or even sealing of buildings. According to departmental data, there are 2.32 lakh water and sewer connections within the municipal limits. Of these, 1.06 lakh consumers cleared their dues, while nearly 1.26 lakh consumers are yet to pay outstanding bills. So far, around 25,000 consumers received pre-recovery (pre-RC) notices.
