Opposition parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), walked out of the Tiruchi Corporation Council meeting on Wednesday protesting the new water tariff plan suggested by the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Fund (TNUDF).
Most of the Opposition councillors such as the DMK, the Congress, the MDMK and the DMDK were up in arms against the proposal when a resolution relating to the new water scheme for extended areas was placed before the council for approval.
As per the proposed plan, the deposit for domestic water connections for houses which are less than 500 square feet in size will be Rs.5,000. It will be Rs.8, 000 for houses which are between 500 and 1,200 sq.ft in size, and for houses between 1,200 and 2,400 square feet in size it will be Rs.12, 000. Water charge for houses between 1,200 and 2,400 sq.ft in size will be Rs. 240 per month. While welcoming the new water scheme, the councillors said that it would be incorrect to increase the water charge and deposit for the residents of all areas when the new scheme had been proposed for just the five new wards.
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It would be meaningful if the Corporation comes out with a plan to collect the deposit only from the beneficiaries concerned for whom the scheme was being planned.
Also, the proposed water tax and deposit was too high and it would affect the common man, they said.
M.Venkatraj, DMK councillor, said that the entire residents of Tiruchi city could not be forced to pay high water tariff and deposit for the scheme which was planned for just five wards.
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R.G.Sathiamoorthy of DMK, who opposed the move, created buzz for sometime by sitting in front of the Mayor’s podium.
Responding to the debate, the Mayor said the Corporation was duty bound to provide water to the newly-added areas. The proposed water tariff hike was not abnormal.