Congress protests sharp hike in collector rates in Sirsa

Congress workers in Sirsa’s Dabwali, led by senior leader KV Singh, held a protest on Monday, against the Haryana Government over the steep increase in collector rates. They submitted a memorandum to the SDM addressed to the Chief Minister, demanding an immediate rollback.

Singh said the government had raised land rates by 30 to 500 per cent without seeking public objections, which directly affected the poor and the middle class. He called the decision anti-people and said it made property registration unaffordable for common citizens.

He also criticised the government for imposing extra charges on electricity bills, such as fixed charges, overload charges, and fuel surcharges. He demanded that the bills be calculated only on actual usage. Singh raised concerns about the Nakal Jamabandi portal, stating that technical faults in the system were delaying property mutations and increasing corruption. He also pointed to the poor condition of roads dug up by Gujarat Gas Company in Dabwali. Despite the municipal council receiving funds, no repair work was done, creating risks of accidents. He demanded an investigation into the matter.

The Congress memorandum also included demands for specialist doctors and restoration of ultrasound services at the 100-bed government hospital in Dabwali. Singh also raised the issue of water shortages in canals and urged the government to restore the old 16-8 water supply system for farmers.

City Congress president Pawan Garg, councillors Bharat Bhushan Bharti, Sumit Aneja, Vinod Bansal, and many party workers joined the protest. The details were shared by Congress district media coordinator Aman Bhardwaj.