‘What prevented Kamath from stopping water tariff hike?’

‘Khader has failed to understand the working of the State machinery’

Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader and Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath continued to exchange barbs over the hike in water tariff in Mangaluru City Corporation limits.

In reply to Mr. Kamath’s statement on Monday holding the Congress-Janata Dal(S) coalition government and Mr. Khader, who was in June the district in-charge Minister, responsible for the hike, Mr. Khader on Tuesday accused Mr. Kamath of failing to stop the enforcement of the order increasing water tariff. “Yes, the notification revising water tariff was issued on June 15 (by corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer) when the coalition government was in power and the corporation council was under the administrator’s control. Mr. Kamath has failed to persuade his government (which came to power in July) to keep the introduction of the revised tariff pending till the formation of the new council,” Mr. Khader said.

Mr. Khader said that the order notifying the increase in water tariff did not come to his notice. “If it had come to my notice, I would have ensured that the officials did not give effect to it,” he said.

Countering Mr. Khader, Mr. Kamath said, “When he as district in-charge Minister could not take notice of the notification on water tariff hike, how can he expect me to take note of it.” Mr. Kamath said that Mr. Khader failed to understand the working of the State machinery which implements government orders. The leaders of the erstwhile coalition government cannot shift the blame for illogically notifying the hike on the BJP government, he added.