CHENNAI: Whether owners or occupants of flats in apartments draw water or not, they will have to pay the water charges to the Chennai Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board, the Madras High Court has ruled. A division bench comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and M Venugopal gave the ruling on February 21 while dismissing a writ appeal from Akshay J Mehta and nine others challenging an order of a single judge, who made the same ruling. According to appellants, the Board had provided a common sump in their apartment on Govindappa Naicken Street in Washermanpet. They did not apply for individual water supply and were not drawing water from the common sump. The other owners/occupants used the sump. However, the Board issued individual notices to the appellants also demanding Rs 5,050 from each. They challenged the same and a single judge rejected their plea. Hence, the present appeal.Dismissing the appeal, the bench referred to Sec 2(4) of the CMWS & SB Water Supply Charges (Levy and Collections) Regulations, which stated that any person who drew water or had sewerage connection or provided with a service connection by the Board was a ‘consumer’. This clause did not make any difference between the person drawing or not drawing water from the service connection provided by the Board. The use or non-use of water was immaterial, the bench said, and dismissed the appeal.
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