LG members protest hike in water tariff
A man supplies water from a tanker in a neighbourhood in Karachi where advent of summers means water shortage and added expenses of purchasing it from tankers. photo: Jalal Qureshi/express
Local government representatives belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) took to the streets against the hike in water and mapping tariff issued by the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA).
The local body members protested against the increase in mapping and water bills outside the TMA office.
In this regard, a resolution was also passed in the Haripur district council.
Local body members said that if the authorities did not withdraw the increase in water and mapping bills, they will continue their protest.
In this regard, PTI leader and former provincial local government minister Yusuf Ayub Khan said that without the approval of the Tehsil Council, the TMA can neither increase water charges nor any other fee including maps fee and neither can impose a new tax.
He said that similar illegal steps were taken in Mardan, however, on the request of locals, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan gave relief to the citizens.
He said that there will be no compromise in this regard and the struggle will continue until the decision to increase the bills and fee was reversed and relief was provided to the poor people.
On a question regarding the 100% increase in water fee and mapping fee by the TMA Haripur, Yusuf Khan said that they were waiting for a debate in the Tehsil Council on the serious and important issue of public interest.
He said that if the Tehsil Council session was held to discuss the issue, members would have rejected the decision.
However, unfortunately, the chairman did not convene the meeting.
He said that the election commission has also not resolved the issue of the election of the Tehsil Council convener so far.
However, “we will now take up the issue directly with the government,” he said.
He said that they will not allow any illegal tax to be imposed on the people of Haripur.
Yusuf Khan said that Haripur was a very big tehsil consisting of 27 to 28 union councils.
He said that Haripur has been made a laboratory for experiments.
He said that now no one will be allowed to make experiments in Haripur.
Yusuf Khan said that “we were waiting for the Tehsil Council meeting on these important issues”.
“There are 80 to 85 representatives in the Tehsil Council. If a Tehsil Council meeting was called, PTI members would have debated in the council and rejected the illegal increase in water and maps fees. However, the Tehsil Council meeting is not being called, so now we will approach the government directly.” He said that unnecessary and unfair taxes will not be allowed to be imposed on the people.
During the protest, LG members Azeem Khan, Liaquat Hayat, Malik Faisal and others demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision by the TMA.
They said that the Tehsil Council has already passed a resolution against the TMA decision.
Tehsil Council Chairman Samiullah Khan said that the notification for an increase in water charges/fees was issued on the instructions of the provincial government before he assumed the charge.
He said that no effort would be spared to provide relief to the people on this issue.