Four-fold water tariff hike in Solan, Palampur imposed
Residents of Solan, under the Municipal Corporation (MC), will face a nearly four-fold increase in their monthly water bills, following a rate hike by the state government. The revised rate has jumped from Rs 27.71 per kilo litre (PKL) to Rs 100 PKL, a significant rise that has come as a shock to the public. This increase contradicts the earlier promise made during the civic body elections to supply water at a subsidised rate of Rs 100 per household. Though residents have yet to receive bills reflecting the new rates, the change is already causing concern.
The Jal Shakti Department (JSD) introduced this price hike for Solan and Palampur MCs through a notification issued on September 21, 2024, when the state government revised water charges across the state. As water is supplied by the JSD in these two civic bodies, they have been levied increased charges, while other civic bodies manage their own water supplies. As a result, the charges for water from the JSD have risen significantly since November, 2024, further straining the already financially burdened MC, which is in debt to the tune of over Rs 107 crore.
The increased rates have substantially raised the MC's monthly water supply costs. For instance, the monthly charge for water drawn from the Giri scheme has surged from Rs 50.36 lakh to Rs 2.04 crore and from the Ashwani scheme, it has risen from Rs 16.64 lakh to Rs 55 lakh. These new rates are set to be passed on to the consumers starting October 2024.
The issue has sparked an intense debate, especially at the general house meeting on Friday, where BJP councillor Shailendra Gupta rued that they were not informed about the revised charges, despite the notification being issued in September 2024. Gupta while terming these enhanced charges as “exorbitant” said the residents have been unduly burdened. “In a democracy, the councillors should be rightfully informed about any government decision instead of keeping it under wraps,” added Gupta.
Solan MC Mayor Usha Sharma, Mayor said the burden of revised water charges would be borne by the civic body for the time being. She added that a resolution has been passed unanimously by the councillors to urge the state government to roll back the revised rates. The issue would be urgently taken up with the state government, she said.
In Solan, water is supplied by the JSD and distributed by the MC. Though the civic body has passed several resolutions in the past to hand over the water supply to the JSD, but the move could not materialise.