Even as the issue of ensuring supply of tertiary treated water to existing connections, and the stink it continues to generate, is being debated in the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh House, the Water Supply Committee of the corporation has taken a decision which is sure to raise the hackles of kanal house owners.
A meeting of the committee, chaired by Satish Kumar Kainth, on Thursday decided that commercial rates be charged from households in one kanal or above houses for using drinking water for irrigation purposes from August 1 this year. They have been given time till July 31 to take separate connection for tertiary treated water supply for irrigation purposes.
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Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
This issue was hotly debated in a recent meeting of the MC House and several councillors had challenged the claim by officials that the tertiary treated water was being regularly supplied to all existing connections, including parks in the city. Mayor Asha Kumari Jaswal had herself admitted that the stink from the tertiary treated water was still unbearable.
Thursday’s meeting of the water supply committee was attended by member councillors Devinder Singh Babla, Vinod Aggarwal, Arun Sood, Jagtar Singh Jagga, Ravi Kant Sharma and Sachin Kumar Lohitya. Concerned officers of Municipal Corporation also attended the meeting.
The committee also decided that public toilets in market places be handed over to the area market associations and public toilets in green belts to the local resident welfare associations for their proper maintenance.
The committee decided that user charges of water tankers for commercial purposes be hiked from Rs. 385 to Rs. 500 plus taxes and higher. It also decided to impose user charges for providing mobile toilet vans for various functions and rallies, etc.
Both the decision on user charges have been sent to the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) for framing of policies in this regard.
