Bhubaneswar: In a bid to improve quality of water supply and collection of taxes Water Corporation of Odisha Limited (WATCO), Saturday, imparted training to Jal Sathis, and members from Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Aerial Level Federation (ALF).
While piped water supply has started in seven wards of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme, Jal Sathis have been appointed for collection of tax from the beneficiaries.
Members of Jal Sathis from different ALF and SHGs were given training on the use of Point of Sale (POS) machines of banks for the collection of taxes. Trained by State Urban Development Authority (SUDA) and WATCO the Jal Sathis were given instructions on their day to day activities and method of collection of water tax.
“These Jal Sathis will visit houses every day to test the water quality and collect monthly water tax from beneficiaries. This will not only help in monitoring the health of water in particular community but will also ensure efficient and timely collection of the revenue,” an official at WATCO stated.
The Jal Sathis will also be provided a percentage of commission for their works. The Jal Sathis will get their remuneration through registered ALFs and will be paid 5% of the amount collected by them which will be transferred directly to their bank accounts. They are expected to earn Rs 3000-4000 a month. Furthermore, Jal Sathis will be also get paid Rs 20 for testing a water sample subject to a maximum of 20 houses in a day.
“Water tax will be collected on the basis of the reading of water meters. Soon collection of water tax by Jal Sathis will be extended to all the 114 municipal bodies in the State, said Sarada Prasad Panda, Additional Director SUDA.