Pimpri: The Standing Committee of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has approved new rates for water tax in the city.
According to the PCMC, the households using up to 6,000 litres of water per month will not have to pay any tax on their water bills to the civic body. But people using more water than the stipulated norms will have to pay five per cent more as compared to earlier rates of water tax.
The new rates of water tax will be implemented from April 1, 2018. As the civic body failed to recover the expenditure on water supply in the city, Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar proposed the new rates for water tax. This was approved by the Standing Committee on Wednesday.
However, the proposal was opposed by Shiv Sena member Amit Gawade and NCP member Raju Misal saying this is an additional burden on the taxpayers.
Hardikar said, "There is no option before the civic body but to increase the water tax, as there is a huge gap between expenditure on water supply department and recovery of water tax."
The commissioner proposed that the civic body will recover Rs 100 per household per month if it has installed the water meter. This rate will be Rs 50 per month for slum dwellers. Hotel, restaurants and other commercial units will have to pay Rs 50 per 1,000 litres. The rates for private educational institutes, government and semi-government offices, railway stations, hospitals, hostels will be Rs 15 per 1,000 litres, charitable institutes and social initiatives running on no profit no loss basis will have to pay Rs 10 per 1,000 litres, stadiums will pay Rs 20 per 1,000 litres.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee has not made any changes in the new water tariff proposed by the municipal commissioner.
New rates for domestic water use
0 to 6,000 litres: No water tax
6,000 to 15,000 litres: Rs 8 per 1,000 litres
15,001 to 22,500 litres: Rs 12.50 per 1,000 litres
22,501 to 30,000 litres: Rs 20 per 1,000 litres
30,001 litres and more: Rs 35 per 1,000 litres
