Chandigarh, July 26: Residents of the city will have to pay more as the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has imposed another cess of 10 paise per unit on electricity. The cess has been imposed on all categories of consumers domestic as well as industrial.
The General House of the MC approved the proposal amid a protest from Congress councillors. KK Yadav, MC Commissioner, said the matter would be sent to the UT Administration and the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for approval. He said the MC would get around Rs 14 crore to Rs 17 crore annually from the cess. Yadav said the MC was spending a huge amount on streets lights on roads and parks.
This is the second cess on electricity consumers as the MC had earlier imposed a cow cess of 2 paise per unit. With this, the residents will now have to pay a total cess of 12 paise per unit on electricity.
Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition in the MC, opposed the cess and said the rates of electricity had already been increased by 20 per cent in April and later these were enhanced in the name of FPPCA charges. He said the common man was already facing the heat of taxes.
Arun Sood, BJP councillor, also opposed the cess, saying that since the MC had no money for providing facilities, it had no right to impose more tax.
The Municipal Corporation has decided to regularise all illegal water connections in the city. The MC is not receiving any money for thousands of illegal water connections in colonies and villages.
Source Tribune India
