Balangir, April 5: Several prominent government offices in this town haven’t paid their water taxes, and the figure runs into lakhs.

The defaulters include such establishments as the offices of the district collector, chief district medical officer and the telecom district manager. The Balangir Municipality also tops the list.

The public health and engineering department (PHED) has revealed the state of affairs as the district, which is infamous for acute water shortage, struggles for every drop as summer sets in.

Sources said government offices owe at least Rs 80 lakh worth of water tax to the PHED.

Sources in the public health engineering department said that the office of the district collector owed them Rs 70,802 while the amount for the circuit house is Rs 1.55 lakh.

The sub-collector’s residence and Kalyan Mandap together owe PHED Rs 96,000, while the CDMO’s office hasn’t paid Rs 1.71 lakh.

The telecom district manager is yet to pay PHED Rs 82,000.

Among the major defaulters of water tax are the Life Insurance Corporation office (Rs 70,000), hostels of Rajendra College (Rs 2.58 lakh), Government Women’s College (Rs 1.70 lakh), State Bank of India (Rs 26,000), district jail (Rs 29,000), Oriental Public School (Rs 26,000) and Mission School (Rs 16,000).

But topping the list is Balangir Municipality. It has an outstanding of Rs 33 lakh. Sources said the municipality did not pay a single rupee towards water tax for 298 stand posts in the town for the last 10 years.

Officials with PHED said they had issued notices to the defaulters, but response had been poor.

Executive engineer of the Balangir PHED division, Bhakta Kavi Das, admitted that there was large amount of water tax pending from government offices. The executive engineer, however, expressed his helplessness to do anything to collect the amount.

“It is not possible to force them to pay the amount. Now and then we issue notices asking them pay the dues. Apart from government offices, water tax collection from common people in the town is also very poor,” Das said.

Balangir faces water scarcity because of thousands of unauthorised connections.

“The unauthorised connections far exceed authorised connections,” he said.

Sources said the town has authorised water pipe connection of about 5,000 while unauthorised connections stand at over 10,000.