MCC Proposes NO Change in Water Tariff during Resolution Passed at Council Meeting
Mangaluru: As always this was also the noisiest Council meeting where the Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur and the opposition Council members argued. At the meeting, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) urged the State government to allow the civic body to continue collecting the existing domestic water tariff till July 31, 2026, without any revision. The existing tariff in three slabs – 0-20, 20-25 and 25 and above kilolitres – stood at Rs 5, Rs 11, and Rs 14 per kilolitre, respectively. As per the approval by the government earlier, the existing tariff was valid for a year from August 1, 2022. The corporation sought the extension of the existing tariff this July 24. The council of the civic body in its meeting on Tuesday concurred with the extension sought.
Earlier in July 2022, the government approved the revision wherein the minimum tariff was reduced to Rs 5 a kilolitre as against Rs 7 a kilolitre fixed during the administrator’s tenure in 2019. While four tariff slabs were introduced in 2019, 0-8, 8- 15, 15-25, and 25 and above kilolitres, with tariff per kilolitre at Rs 7, Rs 9, ₹11, and Rs 13, respectively, the corporation council in its May 31, 2022 resolution recommended only three slabs, 0-20, 20-25, and 25 and above kilolitres, with tariff of Rs 5, Rs 11 and Rs 14 per kilolitres, respectively.
Later, the Directorate of Municipal Administration approved the slashed tariff with a rider that it was effective only for a year from August 1, 2022 and the corporation will have to revise the tariff after one year. After the tariff was enhanced to a minimum of Rs 7 per 0-8 kilolitre during the administrator’s period for the first slab, there was an uproar in the corporation council and the corporation, on May 13, 2020, urged the government to reduce the tariff. The Director of Municipal Administration wrote to the corporation commissioner in December 2021 to propose a new water tariff that will help avoid loss to the corporation.
Accordingly, the revised water tariff was approved during the corporation council’s general meeting on May 31, 2022, and it was forwarded to the Directorate. After an in-principle approval by the Directorate, the State government notified the revised water tariff. Whip in the council Premananda Shetty told the meeting that the corporation is hopeful that the government will extend the existing tariff for the next three years.
ACQUISITION of LAND FOR NHAI SERVICE ROAD BY MCC OPPOSED
The council meeting also witnessed a heated discussion between the corporators of the ruling BJP and Congress in the opposition, on an agenda that sought the nod for the city corporation to acquire land for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to develop service roads by the side of national highway stretches in the city.
Mangaluru City North MLA Y Bharath Shetty of the BJP had proposed that the MCC acquire land required for the development of service roads offering transferable development rights (TDR) to property owners. “The MCC has an option to acquire land for development works, by offering TDRs to property owners. Hence, the MCC may acquire land through TDRs, instead of the NHAI, for the development of service roads in city limits,” the MLA stated in his proposal. When the agenda in this regard was read out by the chief whip of council Premanand Shetty, corporator AC Vinayaraj from the opposition sought clarification from officials regarding the legality of the move.
“Let officials clarify if there is legal provision for the city corporation to acquire land for the NHAI, which is working as per the NHAI Act,” he said. Officials said that the acquisition of additional land is necessary when the NHAI develops service roads in the city, especially at Nanthoor and Mahaveer Circle. Officials also pointed out that land will have to be acquired for the proposal of vehicular overpasses at Nanthoor and KPT Circle. However, Vinayaraj, opposition leader Praveen Chandra Alva and other corporators from the Congress raised objections and sought a review of the decision leading to a lengthy and vociferous discussion. Later, the debate ended after Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur suggested recording the objections of the opposition corporators.
