Underground drainage pipeline works under way near Marudhamalai in Coimbatore.
| Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan
The Coimbatore Corporation has decided to allow property owners to pay the one-time deposit and connection charges for underground drainage (UGD) connections in up to 10 instalments, with the amount to be collected along with property tax.The Corporation Council recently approved amendments to the Underground Drainage (UGD) Connection By-laws to facilitate the revised collection mechanism.Currently, property owners applying for UGD connections are required to submit an application, following which the Corporation scrutinises it and issues a demand notice for payment of the one-time deposit and connection charges. The UGD connection is provided only after the applicant pays the entire amount.Under the revised procedure, the one-time deposit and connection charges will be collected along with the property’s tax demand in a maximum of 10 instalments instead of as a lump-sum payment. The Council also authorised the Corporation to make the necessary modifications to the UrbanTree software to implement the revised system.A senior Corporation official said the UGD tariffs were approved in 2023 but were yet to be enforced. With underground drainage projects nearing completion in several parts of the city, pipelines had already been laid, but household service connections were yet to be provided. The official said contractors were also facing financial constraints in providing the connections, making it necessary to gradually enforce the deposit and connection charges for new applicants.He said the instalment facility was introduced to ease the financial burden on residents, who may find it difficult to pay the entire deposit at one time. “Only when all properties are connected to the underground sewerage network can we prevent greywater from entering lakes and other waterbodies,” he said.According to the approved tariff, residential buildings of up to 600 sq. ft. will pay a monthly UGD user charge of ₹110 and a one-time deposit of ₹7,500. For buildings measuring 601-1,200 sq. ft., the monthly charge is ₹140 and the deposit ₹10,000; for 1,201-1,800 sq. ft., ₹180 and ₹12,500; for 1,801-2,400 sq. ft., ₹210 and ₹15,000; and for buildings above 2,401 sq. ft., the monthly charge is ₹250 with a ₹17,500 deposit.For commercial buildings, the monthly UGD user charge and one-time deposit have been fixed at ₹330 and ₹15,000, respectively, for buildings of up to 600 sq. ft.; ₹420 and ₹20,000 for 601-1,200 sq. ft.; ₹540 and ₹25,000 for 1,201-1,800 sq. ft.; ₹630 and ₹30,000 for 1,801-2,400 sq. ft.; and ₹660 and ₹35,000 for commercial buildings above 2,401 sq. ft.. Published - July 18, 2026 07:54 pm IST
