Shimla, Oct 5,
The Himachal Pradesh Government today announced its decision to amend and withdraw the notification issued on September 21, which proposed a levy of Rs 25 per seat per month as sewerage charges. The move, initially misunderstood by many as a ‘toilet tax,’ has been clarified to prevent misinformation and address concerns raised by consumers and political leaders.
In the amended notification, the government clarified that the Rs 25 charge would not apply across the board. It will only affect consumers who do not use water supplied by the Municipal Corporation (MC) or the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department but still avail themselves of the sewerage system. This clarification comes after confusion spread on social media, with some sections inaccurately describing the levy as a new “toilet tax.”
The original notification, signed by IPH Secretary Onkar Sharma, had stated that Rs 25 would be charged per toilet per month from all consumers connected to government-provided sewerage systems. Previously, in urban areas, water supply agencies charged domestic consumers a 30 percent sewerage charge based on their water consumption. However, with the recent increase in water tariffs, there was concern that sewerage charges would also rise proportionally, burdening households further.
The state government emphasized today that no new tax was being introduced, and the decision to impose the Rs 25 charge was specific to certain consumers who are not on the regular water supply network but still use public sewerage services.
Despite the government’s clarification, the issue has drawn political criticism. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda condemned the proposed levy, terming it a “toilet tax” hike. In response, the state government labeled these allegations as unfounded and reiterated its stance, stressing that the September 21 notification has now been amended to prevent any misunderstanding.
With water tariff increase already in effect, however, the proportional rise in sewerage charges could still impact consumers in urban areas who are on the MC or IPH water supply networks.
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