GURGAON: In an attempt to plug years of revenue leakage, MCG has disconnected over 100 unauthorised water and sewerage connections across the city in Feb and March alone.In the last one year, MCG issued over 5,000 notices to residents, asking them to regularise illegal connections and clear pending water and sewerage dues.The drive comes amid mounting pressure on the civic body to improve its dismal recovery from water and sewerage services, a problem that has long plagued the city’s finances.“Illegal connections strain the system and create inequity in distribution,” an MCG official told TOI.According to officials, the civic body earned Rs 56 crore from water and sewerage charges in FY 2025–26, compared with Rs 16 crore in FY 2024–25, which is an over threefold increase. The sharp jump has been attributed largely to enforcement measures, including mass notices and disconnections, rather than structural reforms in the billing system.Despite the improvement, officials admit the civic body is still far from realising the true revenue potential of a city with lakhs of households and thousands of commercial establishments. The corporation has now set a target of Rs 80 crore for FY 2026–27, signalling further tightening of enforcement.“There are plans to integrate water and sewerage connections with the no-dues certificate (NDC) portal. The system would mirror the property tax model, where sellers must obtain clearance of dues before completing property transactions,” said a senior MCG official privy to the matter.If implemented, this could make it difficult for property owners to sell or transfer real estate without first clearing water and sewerage liabilities, a step officials believe could significantly boost recovery.MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said the corporation is also exploring systemic improvements rather than relying solely on enforcement. Dahiya told TOI that the civic body is working on a pilot project for 24×7 water supply, drawing lessons from water management models observed during his visit to Israel and the state of Odisha.“Additional commissioner Yash Jaluka and executive engineer Pradeep Kumar have conducted surveys and introduced technology-based interventions to streamline water connections across the city. Our team is working to enhance revenue as well since our expenditure to purchase bulk water supply from GMDA is over Rs 140 crore,” he said.It was in Feb that the MCG launched a fully online system for applying for drinking water and sewerage connections, becoming the first civic body in Haryana to digitise the process end to end.The new system, available on the corporation’s website, allows residents to apply for fresh connections using only a property ID and identity proof, eliminating the need for visits to municipal offices.The crackdown has also exposed the scale of unauthorised tapping of municipal water infrastructure. During an inspection drive in Sadar Bazaar on Thursday, the MCG team disconnected seven illegal drinking water connections that were taken without approval or in violation of civic rules.Officials said such connections not only lead to loss of govt revenue but also disrupt the distribution network, reducing water pressure and affecting supply to legitimate consumers.
