Free water supply to Mohali households may soon end, as the municipal corporation (MC) approved a proposal to hike water tariffs, in a monthly house meeting on Wednesday. The revision, a first since 2009, will come as a major change for residents, who pay just ₹1.8 per kilolitre at present.
MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu presented the proposal, which the House unanimously endorsed.
Commissioner Sandhu said, “At present, Mohali MC is charging only ₹50 per month per household, whereas Chandigarh follows a slab system— the more you use, the more you pay.”
The commissioner pointed out that nearly 30,000 households don’t pay a single penny due to absence of meters. Members agreed that meters should be installed at all such houses. Besides, 14,000 water connections, under five marlas, are not billed, thus putting a financial strain on the MC. “Most of the revenue comes from commercial connections, which is not sufficient,” Sandhu said.
Reduced collections, he said, are hampering the smooth functioning of water supply schemes, including pipeline repairs, pumping machinery maintenance, water treatment plant operations, purchase of chlorine and bleaching powder, and even payment of outsourced workers’ salaries.
City may follow Chandigarh’s slab system
{{/usCountry}}City may follow Chandigarh’s slab system
{{/usCountry}}The Mohali MC plans to restructure the tariff on the lines of the Chandigarh civic body. A detailed agenda with revised tariff slabs will be placed before the House in the next meeting.
Councillors unanimously stressed that revising the tariff is crucial to strengthening the MC’s revenue base and ensuring uninterrupted drinking water supply across the city.
Uniform rate of ₹1.8 per kilolitre brought in 2020
Until December 2019, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) charged ₹5.25 per kilolitre in Sectors 66-69, 76-81, 88, and Aerocity, compared to ₹1.8 per kilolitre in MC-controlled sectors. In January 2020, the local bodies department removed the disparity, and a uniform rate of ₹1.8 per kilolitre was implemented across Mohali.