Team Herald
PANJIM: The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal making house sewer connections mandatory across the State.
As per 2011 Census in India, only 16 per cent of urban population of Goa is connected to sewerage system compared to neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka where it is 40 per cent and 38 per cent respectively and lower than the all-India average of 31 per cent.
Since there is poor response for availing house sewer connections by the people wherever sewerage connectivity is available, the cabinet decided to make it a policy to provide house sewer connections in the State. An amount of Rs 5000 each is charged for application for individual house connection while, Rs 3000 each is charged for group houses (more than one flat/apartment), Rs 2000 each for shops with toilet and water connection and Rs 1000 each for shops without toilet and water connection situated in apartment and in houses.
The government has also decided to charge 35 per cent of water consumption bill as monthly sewerage charges. The government has so far commissioned sewerage schemes at Panjim, Margao, Vasco, Durbhat-Ponda and Sankhali areas and released total of 11,695 domestic connections benefitting 2,27,514 population.
Also 21 sewer connections have released in Taleigao area benefitting 3200 population.
In Panjim, besides 1950 domestic connection, 800 commercial and five public places have been released connections. The government now intends to provide additional 24,160 sewerage connections following partial commissioning of ongoing sewerage schemes at Margao, Kavlem-Ponda, Mapusa, Porvorim, Colva, Navelim and coastal areas in North Goa.
However for the new consumers the proposed sewerage connection charges with application will be hiked to Rs 9500 (each unit), students hostels, educational institutions, hospitals/dispensaries, Rs 5500 for housing cooperative societies, small hotels, bars and restaurants and Rs 25,000 for commercial establishments such as malls, supermarkets, cinema houses, etc.