Nagercoil Corporation's drinking water tax, deposit hike draws flak
Following the footsteps of Tirunelveli Corporation, the urban civic body of Nagercoil has also resolved to steeply hike the water tax only to draw the public ire and stiff resistance from the politicians affiliated to the AIADMK and the BJP.
In the council meeting held here on Tuesday, the Corporation decided to increase the drinking water connection deposit and the monthly tax based on the plinth area of the houses or the commercial establishments. The AIADMK and the BJP councillors walked out of the council meeting in protest.
Kanniyakumari MLA and former minister N. Thalavai Sundaram of AIADMK has criticised the Corporation's decision to upwardly revise the water tax and the deposits for getting drinking water connection
He said in a statement that residents of the newly annexed areas like Thengampudhur in Kanniyakumari Assembly constituency and Aalur in Colachel Assembly segment would also have to pay this hiked tax and the deposit even though no project for giving drinking water connections to the residents had been implemented in these two areas under the AMRUT scheme.
Terming the Corporation's decision as 'anti-people', Mr. Thalavai Sundaram said the Stalin-led Tamil Nadu Government, after 'torturing the public' by hiking power tariff, property tax, vacant land tax etc., had landed another punch on the face of the public in the form of water tax increase.
As per the Nagercoil Corporation's decision, ₹5,000 would be collected as deposit from a house built with the plinth area of 600 square feet and this amount would be ₹10,000 for government offices, commercial establishments, factories and the educational institutions.
When the plinth area goes up to 601 sq.ft and 1,200 sq.ft, the deposit would be ₹7,500 and ₹15,000 respectively for houses and other non-residential establishments. And, the deposit would be ₹10,000 for houses and ₹20,000 for other structures (from 1,201 sq ft to 1,800 sq.ft), ₹12,000 for houses and ₹25,000 for other structures (from 1,801 sq ft to 2,400 sq.ft).
The monthly drinking water tax has also been revised. While ₹120 a month will be collected for 10,000 litres of water a month from the houses, others will have to pay ₹360 a month. For every 1,000 litre over the 10,000 litre, ₹18 will be collected and this amount will be ₹54 for other non-residential establishments. This amount will increase based on the plinth area of the property from ₹140 a month (600 sq.ft) for houses to ₹180 a month (2,400 sq.ft). And, the amount to be collected for every 1,000 litre water consumed over the 10,000 litres will attract more tax ranging up to ₹27 per every 1,000 litre.
'The resolution passed by the Nagercoil Corporation on Tuesday will also compel those who have already paid the deposit to give the revised deposit amount. The people, who have been hit hard by inflation and the unprecedented hike in other taxes and tariff, will put an end to this atrocity very soon,' Mr. Thalavai Sundaram said.
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