Chandigarh,Oct 19,2020: Chandigarh Congress today held a strong dharna protest outside the Municipal Corporation office against the three fold increase in the water tariff and showed black flags. Slogans were raised against the false promises and ineptitude of BJP MP Kirron Kher l, Mayor Rajbala Malik and against the BJP councillors and the Congress workers put locks on the gates of Municipal Corporation office which led to a minor scuffle between Congress workers and police. While addressing the people gathered at the protest, former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that raising the tariff of an essential and basic need like water is an act against the people's welfare and Congress party will strongly protest this injustice at every platform. He said that BJP leadership is responsible for the financial mess which the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation finds itself in and said that why is the Municipal Corporation not pressing the Delhi Finance Commission for the financial grants to the city.
Congress leaders raised the point that if all other offices can work, why a physical meeting of the Municipal Corporation can't be called and the calling of virtual meetings is being done to run away from the protest and difficult questions. They said that BJP may try its best to kill the democratic system, but even then the Congress party will keep raising the issues on streets and the Congress councillors will keep opposing the unjust decisions of BJP in the Municipal Corporation. Chandigarh Congress President Pardeep Chhabra said that already the city residents were burdened with increased and new taxes since last 6 years and now even the tariffs of an essential commodity like water are being raised three times. Chhabra further said that Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has been made defunct and financial mess by the corrupt and anti-people BJP which is adamant on taking decisions which burden the common citizens and it is high time that the Municipal Corporation should be dissolved. He said that the Congress councillors have strongly opposed this anti-people decision of BJP led Municipal Corporation during their protests in the house meetings and even on streets and now after seeing the strong protests by Congress and the anger of the people, the BJP councillors are holding drama by boycotting the MC meetings even when they were themselves part of the decision by the BJP led Municipal Corporation to raise the water tarriff.
Chhabra further added that Congress will not budge and inch till the BJP led Municipal Corporation is forced to roll back the water tarriff hike and the party will take this issue to the masses and make them aware of the faulty policies of BJP. The Congress leaders who participated in the protest today included Pawan Sharma, Harphool Kalyan, Devinder Singh Babla, Sheela Phool Singh, Satish Kainth, Gurbax Rawat, Rupinder Gujral, Harmohinder Singh Lucky, Sandeep Bhardwaj, Gurcharandas Kala, Ajay Joshi, Gurpreet Singh Gabi, Mohammed Sadiq, Jatinder Bhatia, Shashi Shankar Tiwari, Harmail Kesri, Deipa Dubey, Anwar-ul-Haq, Yadvinder Mehta, Ajay Sharma, Jagjit Singh Kang, Dharamvir, Manjeet Chauhan, Rajeev Moudgil, Jagir Singh, Jeet Singh, Ravi Thakur, Narinder Singh, Aman Singh, Surjeet Dhillon, Paramjit Singh, Sanjeev Gaba, Dharamvir Sisodia, Harnek Sekhon, Brinder Rawat, Rakesh Barotiya and others.