Chandigarh residents want notification on water rates, sewerage cess withdrawn

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 26

Even as the UT Administration has stayed the hike in water tariff till March 2022, city residents want the withdrawal of the notification and reduction in 30 per cent sewerage cess on the total bill.

The cess earlier used to cost Rs10 per flush toilet per month in residential areas and Rs50 per flush toilet in commercial areas.

The Administration has deferred the September 11, 2020, notification that had led to threefold increase in the water rates. But the June 2019 notification, which had increased the sewerage cess, was existing. The hiked bill and cess had hit the residents hard. Residents remained confused over cess.

“Stopping the water tariff hike till March 2022 was a cruel joke. Only the notification issued on September 11 was put on hold. No excess payment made so far is being adjusted and there is no order on decreasing the cess from 30 per cent to 5 per cent,” said RK Garg, president of the Second Innings Association.

“People will have to review the whole situation and start demanding the withdrawal of the increased tariffs once again. We demand that the notification should be withdrawn and all bills be paid at a higher rate should be adjusted in the next bills,” he added.

Hitesh Puri, Chairman, CRAWFED: “There is no clarity on sewerage cess. It is the main reason that water bills increased so much. Also, water rate notification should have been withdrawn as otherwise it is only a temporary relief for residents. Even if the MC wants to increase the rates, it should be marginal.”

Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman, FOSWAC, commented: “First, they burdened us with a huge increase in water bills. Then after much pressure from all quarters, they only deferred the notification. The residents want reduced cess and withdrawal of the notification otherwise they will be in the same spot next year.”

Congress president Subhash Chawla said: “Sewerage cess and water rates are not so high anywhere. The BJP-ruled MC had deferred the rates only for political gains ahead of the MC polls this year.”

Meanwhile, Ravi Kant Sharma told Chandigarh Tribune: “We have given relief to people during Covid. The sewerage cess was proving to be costly only because of the increased water tariff, which has now been deferred.”

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