Ctg WASA collection rises to Tk28.25cr amid drive to recover arrears

The Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Chattogram WASA) collected revenue of Tk28.25 crore in September amid intensified monitoring and measures to recover arrear bills, officials said.

The authority collected Tk26.80 crore in August.

Eight special monitoring teams, formed jointly by the revenue and engineering departments, are working to speed up collection. 

The teams comprise executive engineers, revenue officers, revenue supervisors and meter inspectors, with overall supervision by Deputy Managing Director (DMD-Finance) Sharmin Akter.

She said the teams were visiting customers with outstanding bills of more than Tk25,000 and collecting dues directly. 

Earlier, the drive focused on customers with arrears exceeding Tk50,000, said the DMD.

Alongside the collection drive, customer information is being updated. Mobile courts are also disconnecting illegal connections and taking legal action against unlicensed deep tube-wells, she said.

Officials informed that despite the record collection, the WASA still has around Tk259 crore in outstanding bills. Of the total, Tk71.52 crore is due from government offices, while Tk187.43 crore from general customers.

The WASA Managing Director Engineer Selim Md Jane Alam said revenue collection had been given special priority.

He urged customers to pay their bills regularly and obtain required licences for water connections and tube wells.