Chandigarh: Stiffer fine for unpaid water bills in pipeline
In an effort to ensure timely payment of water bills and boost its revenue in one fell swoop, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) is planning to hike the penalty imposed for bills not cleared even after two months.
The agenda will be discussed in the MC General House meeting on Wednesday, along with other crucial agendas, including hike in parking rates under the proposed Smart Parking project and a new Fire Safety Act for Chandigarh, among others.
'As per the Chandigarh Water Supply Bylaws, 2011, amended from time to time, a penalty is levied on consumers for delayed payment of water bill. The same surcharge (fine) is added in the next bill for delayed payment. However, there is no provision for compound surcharge on unpaid water bills due to non-payment in consecutive cycles, which leads to persistent default by some consumers,' MC officials said in the agenda.
To plug this revenue leak, MC is proposing a 10% compound surcharge on every water bill unpaid even after two months.
For perspective, if a consumer gets ₹100 as water bill every month, ₹10 (10% of the bill) is charged as penalty if the bill remains unpaid for a month. In the next cycle, the bill will rise to ₹210 ( ₹100 from last month plus ₹10 as penalty and ₹100 from current bill).
However, if the bill still remains unpaid, the total next month will soar to ₹331 ( ₹210 arrears plus ₹21 as compound penalty and ₹100 from current bill).
The move aims to ensure timely clearance of water bills, a major source of revenue for the civic body, besides property tax and garbage fee, said an MC official.
Also on agenda today
During the Wednesday meeting, the civic body will also discuss its plan to revive the Smart Parking Project with steeper parking charges.
As per the proposal, the first 15 minutes shall be free across 84 parking lots of the city — a move aimed to encourage quick departure of short-stay visitors. Thereon, four-wheelers will be charged ₹20 for up to four hours of parking — a sharp increase from the existing ₹14 — while two-wheelers will pay ₹10 instead of ₹7. A special rate of ₹85 for the first four hours has been proposed for the parking lots near Elante Mall, Fun Republic and Piccadily Square, making parking there most expensive in the city.
MC will also deliberate on its proposal of adopting a new Fire Safety Act, making fire safety clearance mandatory for buildings with a height of 9 metres or above. MC is also proposing to hire a public sector firm to manage the city's horticulture waste.
Meanwhile, the Congress councillors plan to corner the BJP-led MC over the sharp hike in property tax.
'Demanding a complete roll-back of the property tax imposed by the Chandigarh administration in collaboration with the BJP, Congress councillors will voice their protest strongly and unequivocally during the House meeting. Although the tax was partially reduced following public backlash, the Congress party maintains that the revision is inadequate and does not serve the interests of the general public,' said city Congress president HS Lucky.
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