LUCKNOW, May 9 -- Residents under six major municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh will no longer have to manage multiple bills for various services as the urban development department has introduced an integrated billing system that consolidates property tax, water tax, sewer charges, user charges, and water usage fees into a single unified bill. These municipal corporations include Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Jhansi. Principal secretary, urban development, Amrit Abhijat stated, "The unified billing will help centralise the records and boost tax recovery. The initiative is aimed at reducing inconvenience for citizens and ensuring more efficient tax collection." Officials said that residents who pay their dues in full before the deadline would continue to be eligible for standard rebates, while delayed payments would attract penalties in accordance with existing rules. Under the new system, citizens will now receive one consolidated annual bill instead of separate bills from different departments such as the municipal corporation and Jalkal. The unified bill will present a detailed itemisation of each charge, while also summarising the total amount payable, officials said. Importantly, taxpayers would have the flexibility to pay the bill annually, half-yearly or quarterly, depending on their preference, they added. The reform will officially be implemented from the financial year 2025-26. In preparation, the municipal corporations and urban Jal Sansthans will collect relevant data over the first three months of the current financial year. This data will be used to develop a comprehensive, unified database incorporating property identification numbers and details of water and sewerage connections, officials said. To facilitate easy payments, the new billing system will support online transactions through the e-Nagarsewa portal, mobile application, and designated municipal counters. Help desks will also be set up in all municipal offices to assist residents with queries and complaints related to the new system....