Water tariff: Chandigarh MC for suspending hike till Covid-19 situation eases

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 9

Making a U-turn, the Municipal Corporation House today resolved to roll back the hike in the water tariff till the Covid situation eases.

Cong stages walkout

Congress councillors demanded a complete rollback of the water tariff hike. They later walked out of the House meeting in protest.

After the Covid period, the House approved to slash two domestic water tariff slabs and cut sewerage cess from 30 per cent to 5 per cent on the tariff. The House also gave approval to adjusting the increased water tariff charges, which were effective from September last year.

Former Mayor denied entry to meeting hall

City Congress president and former Mayor Subhash Chawla sat on the floor outside the media gallery as he was not allowed to enter the hall where the House meeting was being held. Chawla, along with three other leaders, sat on the floor from morning till evening. Councillor Satish Kainth raised the issue in the MC House. MC Commissioner KK Yadav said due to Covid, no visitor was allowed. BJP councillors were also against his entry. Chawla said, “Being a two-time Mayor, I had requested the MC to issue me a visitor’s pass but I was denied the same.”

It was resolved that rather than 3 per cent annual increase, one-time 5 per cent increase should be allowed after every three years. It also okayed that commercial units should be charged at the rate of Rs25 per kl on actual consumption basis rather than fixed charges.

MC House also wants…

• Sewerage cess slashed from 30 per cent to 5 per cent
• Commercial units charged for actual consumption at the rate of Rs25/kl
• One-time 5 per cent annualy hike after every three years

The House decisions will be sent to the UT Administration for the final approval.

Also approved

• 2,128 temporary water connections for consumers outside ‘lal dora’ in villages
• Cow cess of Rs5 on each beer can
• Promoting educated sanitation staff as clerks against vacancies

In its October meeting, the civic body had okayed revising the water tariff hike and sent the recommendation to the Administration. The latter wrote back, “The MC Commissioner has already pointed out the possible loss in revenue if the civic body revises the water tariff hike. All aspects of revenue loss, including meeting the gap of expenditure and revenue, need to be examined by the MC while reconsidering its decision.”

Following this, the BJP-ruled corporation again tabled an agenda in the House meeting today. Though the revision agenda has been passed, residents will have to wait and watch what the Administration orders.

The House had passed the hike in water tariff after 2011 on December 30, 2019, and the Administration notified it on September 11 last year.

Prior to this, the MC had stated that it spent Rs214.81 crore annually on the maintenance of water supply system and sewerage while it earned only Rs86.53 crore as water charges. After the hike, its own receipts were expected to grow to Rs147 crore.

The hike was also necessitated as the civic body got burdened with about Rs14 crore after afternoon water supply was started in the city. The MC claimed that even after the hike, the rates were less than Panchkula and Mohali.

Politics over tariff hike

During the MC House meeting, BJP and Congress councillors kept blaming each other for the hike. Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla blamed the ruling party for ‘imposing cow cess, increasing property tax, parking rates and now water prices’. To this, BJP councillor Arun Sood said it was the Congress that introduced property tax. The Congress was responsible for not increasing the water tariff after 2011 and burdening the MC, he added.

“Had the Congress brought gradual increase in the tariff, there would not have been a need to raise the rates today. And times of freebies are gone. If we are providing best facilities like the afternoon water supply, we also have to meet the expenditure,” added Sood.

Congress councillors showed black flags and offered bangles to the BJP councillors, the latter showed placard targeting the Congress for boycotting the discussion when the rates were raised.