Cut water tariff to rs 25/kl in merged areas, says SMC

Shimla, October 24

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The 34-member House of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) today unanimously passed a resolution recommending reduction of water tariff from Rs44/kl to Rs25/kl in the merged areas. It also urged the state government to allow the corporation to provide 3,000-litre free water to consumers every month.

The councillors also demanded that the Shimla Jal Prabandh Nigam Ltd (SJPNL) should issue the water bills for the pre-March 31 period on the “flat rate basis” and it should issue the bills on volumetric basis after April 2019. The tariff should be calculated on monthly basis rather than for the entire period of six months at a go, till the SJPNL starts the monthly billing system, the councillors demanded.

The House also recommended that the water tariff for the city should be reduced to Rs14/kl from Rs16/kl. “Every month, Delhi gives 20,000-litre water for free to its residents. Five rivers run through HP, but water tariff here is the highest in the country,” the councillors said.

The SMC House, chaired by Shimla Mayor Kusum Sadret, also recommended that the SJPNL should charge 30 per cent as sewerage cess, removing the clause of Rs100 minimum charges as sewerage cess on each bill.

Residents are up in arms against the “faulty volumetric system”, which had resulted in inflated water bills ranging from Rs16,000 to Rs50,000. Earlier, the SMC House decided that SJVNL would revise the inflated bills and reissue these to consumers on flat rate as was the case earlier, but the SMC needed government approval.

The councillors demanded revision and adjustment of inflated water and sewerage bills. “SJPNL should either start issuing water bills monthly or should stop issuing bill on volumetric basis as consumers were being punished to pay more due to high tariff slab,” councillors said.

SMC Commissioner Pankaj Rai said the recommendations of the House passed today would be sent to the state government for its approval. “The board of directors of SJPNL will finally decide and implement the tariff,” he added. — TNS