RATTLED BY the government’s warnings, Mayor Uma Shashi Sharma will travel to Bhopal tomorrow to petition Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan not to pare octroi compensation payments. She will be accompanied by party MLAs and Mayor-in-Council members.
It may be recalled that the government recently threatened to credit octroi payments directly to the MP State Electricity Board if the IMC didn’t clear power bills amounting to Rs 113 crore incurred by phase II of the Narmada project.
Sources close to the Mayor said she would plead the Corporation’s inability to pay off such a massive amount given its precarious financial condition during the meeting with the Chief Minister.
“She is also likely to make a pitch for a partial waiver of outstanding power bills incurred by the Narmada project and concessional electricity tariffs for water supply,” revealed a senior corporator. When contacted over the telephone, the
Mayor corroborated reports of the proposed visit to the State capital. “Given the Corporation’s depleted coffers it is impossible to pay off such a huge amount. Therefore, we’ll try and persuade the Chief Minister to write off the debt or, failing that, at least announce a partial waiver,” she informed.
The Mayor further declared that she would plead with the government for concessional electricity tariffs on the strength of its status as a big-ticket consumer and supplier of an essential commodity like water.
{{/usCountry}}The Mayor further declared that she would plead with the government for concessional electricity tariffs on the strength of its status as a big-ticket consumer and supplier of an essential commodity like water.
{{/usCountry}}“Corporations incur a loss of crores of rupees in supplying water. Why can’t a portion of this cost be shared by the MPSEB by providing power at concessional rates to the Narmada project,” queried Dr Sharma. After all, water supply is an essential service and cannot be treated as a business proposition, she added.
Currently only Rs 3.70 crore of the total octroi compensation due to the City accrues to the IMC. The remaining Rs 2 crore is credited directly to the MPSEB by the government towards repaying a Rs 500 crore loan arranged by the Digvijay Singh Government for the Narmada-II project. If the government carries out its threat to siphon the remaining amount to the power utility to cover power bills the civic body will be denied octroi payments altogether.