Mumbai: No water tax hike in city this year as CM Eknath Shinde orders cancellation of civic proposal

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In a huge relief for Mumbaikars, a proposal for water tax revision has been cancelled by the city civic body on the directives of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, reported news agency PTI.

"As per the instructions given by the Chief Minister to civic chief I S Chahal to cancel the proposal for water tax revision submitted by the Hydraulic Engineering Department, the civic body is making it clear that there will be no increase in water tax this year," as per a statement issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday evening, reported PTI.

The BMC said Mumbai receives 3,950 MLD water every day from seven reservoirs located in Thane and Nashik districts. The water is brought to the city in 150-km-long pipelines and distributed to households after the purification process, reported PTI.

"The annual water tariff is determined by calculating all the infrastructure costs, maintenance and repairs, royalty charges, water purification and disinfection process, electricity costs, and establishment costs etc," it said, reported PTI.

The standing committee of BMC in 2012-13 approved a proposal to increase water tax by a maximum of 8 per cent and the municipal administration had been given powers in this regard. As per the policy, the department had proposed a hike in the water tax, as per the statement, reported PTI.

The BMC, governed by Shiv Sena (undivided) for more than two decades, has been administered by an administrator since March 2022 when the five-year term of the elected representatives ended and the Maharashtra legislature deferred the upcoming elections to the civic and local bodies, reported PTI.

Shinde, who took oath as the chief minister last June after splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, is trying to gain a toehold in civic wards in Mumbai, the home ground of the original Sena founded by late Bal Thackeray, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday morning visited parts of Mumbai to review steps taken to control dust and air pollution and said the city civic body has been directed to do cloud seeding if required, reported PTI.

The civic body has already approached a Dubai-based company, which has 100 per cent accuracy in cloud seeding and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed with it, Shinde said, reported PTI.

"The government and the civic corporation will do whatever they can to reduce Mumbai's pollution. The civic body has been directed to do cloud seeding if required," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)