Higher water tariff to be prominant factor in Mohali MC poll

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 9

The higher water tariff in sectors under GMADA will be one of the primary issues during the coming Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) elections likely to be held in the first or second week of October.

The residents of Sectors 66 to 69 and 76 to 81 were presently paying five times the water bills than other sectors under the MC for the past two and a half years. The water and sewerage maintenance of these sectors are yet to be transferred to the MC.

Even though the MC House had passed a resolution and forwarded the same to the Director Local Bodies almost a year ago, the authorities have not approved it yet.

Residents of these sectors, led by the councillor of ward No. 23, had organised several protests, but in vain.

Surinder Singh, a resident of Sector 69, claimed that as most of the new sectors were led by SAD councillors in the MC, their pleas were not being accepted by the government despite the fact the MC House had passed a resolution in this regard in 2019. He said residents had decided to oppose the candidates of the ruling party in the coming MC poll.

Satvir Singh Dhanoa, councilor of ward No. 23, said residents had been paying Rs5.25 per kilolitre for drinking water, whereas residents living in sectors governed by the MC paid Rs1.8 per kilolitre. He said it was an injustice to the residents of these sectors.

Dhanoa said residents had also filed an appeal in the Permanent Lok Adalat for issuing directions to GMADA to hand over the water supply system to the MC and the petitioners also sought a refund of excess water tariff paid to GMADA from 2017 onwards. The Permanent Lok Adalat has put the Municipal Commissioner, Local Bodies Director and GMADA Chief Administrator on notice regarding disparity in the water tariff in different areas of the city and sought a response by August 28.

Former Deputy Mayor and SAD leader Manjit Singh Sethi said the MC House had passed a resolution for transferring the water supply system to the MC and forwarded the same for approval to the Local Bodies Department. He said nothing had been done in this regard. He said they had also sought nod for issuing tenders for 200 projects, but the tenders were allegedly issued on a selective basis. He said elections were approaching and the people would give a befitting reply by casting their votes in favour of the Opposition party.