Government owes Rs 172 crore to water board

HYDERABAD: The state government admitted before the High Court on Monday that various government organisations owed about Rs 172 crore to the Hyderabad Metro Water Works and Sewerage Board (HMWWSB).The municipal administration and urban development department, in its counter affidavit pursuant to the court’s notice on a plea by Forum for Good Governance challenging the water tariff hike, submitted that the dues would offset the existing deficit but cannot take care of daily water operation and maintenance expenditure.A division bench comprising chief justice Madan B Lokur and justice PV Sanjay Kumar, while adjourning the hearing, dismissed the application of the Hyderabad district committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) to implead it as one of the parties in the case.According to the affidavit, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation owes Rs  49.4 crore, police department Rs 5.78 crore, surrounding gram panchayats Rs 41.52 crore, rural water supply Rs 29.74 crore, Rajiv Gruhakalpa Corporation Rs 4.46 crore, Gandhi Medical College Rs 4.16 crore, surrounding municipalities Rs 22.84 crore, Military Engineering Services Rs 7.13 crore and other departments Rs 7.35 crore to the board.Defending increase in the water tariff, the government told the court that even if all the dues quoted were collected the amount would be sufficient to cover the board’s accumulated dues which include power charges of Rs 160 crore to be paid to the electricity department but cannot provide for the recurring operation and maintenance expenditure of the board.