Chandigarh MC House okays cut in water tariff hike

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 25

An agenda regarding slashing the water tariff hike was today approved in the Municipal Corporation House with MC Commissioner KK Yadav raising objections to it. The UT Administrator will take the final call on the water tariff.

Ruling BJP councillors and the Commissioner locked horns over the table agenda presented in the House by the party. The BJP initially wanted that a comparison between the agenda of the water tariff hike approved in the House in December and the one brought today should be made and following this, it should be brought to the House in the next meeting.

However, the Commissioner did not agree to it, saying that the previous agenda was approved by the same House and subsequently a draft notification was issued by the Governor after his in-principle approval.

This led to disapproval from BJP councillors. Councillor Gurpreet Singh Dhillon told Yadav that their city party president Arun Sood had got many objections and suggestions on the agenda cleared in the House in December. Thus, the latest agenda was brought.

To this, according to BJP councillors, Yadav said all of them were councillors and the city BJP president was not above the Governor. This enraged the councillors, who then hit out at the Commissioner. Heated arguments ensued. However, Yadav told Chandigarh Tribune that he had not made any such statement.

Sood asked Yadav whether he had anything against the party and why he was "indulging in politics". Yadav told them that the MC only had money to pay salaries for two months and the water tariff hike could have brought some revenue to complete pending works.

In the House records, Yadav said the move of slashing the rates was not justified. Sood, in turn, recorded in the House proceedings that it was an insult to the House.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.