Days after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approved a hike in water tax, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today, December 26, slammed the BMC for its retrospective tariff increase of 7.2% for water tax and termed it as a gross injustice to Mumbaikars.
Slamming the civic body, AAP in its official statement mentioned that Mumbai is blessed to be located in the tropical geography of the Western Ghats and receives some of the highest torrential rains in the world. There is enough of water for everyone.
The BMC has humongous budgets, not to mention the over 80,000 crores stashed as fixed deposits. It may be recalled, that the AAP Government in Delhi, provides free 20,000 litres water a month to every family for domestic consumption. This is not a question of money, but of political will, which the BJP controlled BMC clearly lacks.
"Instead of increasing water tax, the BMC should work on eliminating losses due to water leakage in water supply distribution and pilferage by the water mafia, which continues to function with impunity. We demand that the water tax hike be rolled back immediately, failing which we launch an agitation against the BJP controlled BMC,” said Preeti Sharma Menon, Mumbai President, Aam Aadmi Party.
“Mumbaikars are already suffering due to poor public service delivery and rampant corruption in the BMC. Inflation, rising unemployment and post-Covid disruption to the economy have strained household finances. This additional tax hike is nothing but an additional burden on Mumbaikars,” said Ruben Mascarenhas, Mumbai Working President, Aam Aadmi Party.
BMC'S BEST has given a big 'SHOCK' to Mumbaikars. BEST has ordered all its consumers to compulsorily pay a security deposit equal to twice the average of the bill amount of the last 12 months! This is wholly unacceptable and will break the backs of the Aam Aadmi, who is living hand to mouth and is struggling to make ends meet.
BEST's electricity division supplies electricity to around 10.80 lakh consumers in Mumbai. It has 8 lakh 50 thousand residential customers and 2 lakh 30 thousand commercial customers.
"Electricity consumption in Mumbai is an expensive affair. Mumbaikars pay the highest electricity tarrif rate in India. Mumbaikars already have very high electricity bills due to repeated tarriff hikes and high fuel adjustment changes. In 2013, BEST has already collected Rs.3000 from every consumer, in the name of Transport Division Loss Revenue (TDLR). Why then collect security deposit when the previous collection is itself subjudice in the SC? The BMC's default reaction to everything is to simply tax the consumer, rather than correct its own inefficiencies and eliminate corruption.
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