An RTI reply has revealed that more than ₹87 crore in water supply and sewerage user charges remained unpaid in municipal corporation Ludhiana’s Zone D over the past five years, with over 56,000 consumers defaulting on payments. The figures, disclosed by the civic body’s water supply and sewerage wing, highlight a substantial backlog in the recovery of civic dues.The municipal corporation’s Zone D office in Ludhiana. (HT File)The information was furnished in response to an RTI application filed in May by Arvind Sharma, an activist. The data reveals that over 56,000 consumers have defaulted on payment of user charges, with government offices also figuring among the defaulters.Zone D is the first among the corporation’s four zones to respond to the RTI query. Sharma, who sought details of pending dues over the past five years, said responses from the remaining zones are still awaited.Based on the figures disclosed so far, Sharma estimated that the cumulative outstanding amount across the city could run into several hundred crores.“Our estimate is that the dues across Ludhiana may be between ₹300 crore and ₹400 crore, or even higher, depending on the extent of recoveries made by the civic body in previous years,” he said.Sharma alleged that the figures point to poor recovery of user charges over the years. “So far, it appears that the MC did not make adequate efforts to collect these dues during the last five years. It is possible that some of the arrears are even older,” he added.The user charges are levied for water supply and sewerage services provided by the civic body. Residents are charged around ₹150 per month under the category.MC commissioner Neeru Katyal Gupta said the corporation has initiated steps to recover the outstanding amount. “The civic body MC has started issuing notices to defaulters. I will be conducting a review meeting on the recovery process next week,” she said.Officials said the recovery drive would focus on both individual consumers and institutional defaulters, with the civic body seeking to improve collection of user charges and reduce the mounting arrears.