Mangaluru: Alleging that there has been a huge hike in the solid waste management cess, the opposition party members in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) have cautioned of launching a huge protest both inside and outside the Corporation.
MCC opposition party leader Abdul Ravoof, during a press conference on Tuesday, June 16, alleged that even though the people of Mangaluru have been struggling to lead their normal lives due to the lockdown, the MCC has increased the solid waste management cess by around Rs 600. “Earlier, the cess came up to only Rs 180 per year. If the MCC is not ready to reduce the new cess, we will hold a protest in the next few days,” he said.
“When the MCC was run by the Congress, the solid waste management cess was fixed at Rs 30 per month. It was later reduced to Rs 15 per month after opposition. Now, after the BJP has come to power, the cess has been increased to Rs 60 per month. This sudden hike in the solid waste management cess is completely unscientific,” he stressed.
Ravoof alleged that the increase in property tax and cess on drinking water was increased only during the BJP’s administration. “Whenever we oppose their move, the ruling party BJP claims that the opposition party is anti-development. Under the pretext of handling the novel coronavirus crisis, the MCC has been looting the public,” he said.
Meanwhile, former mayor Shashidhar Hegde said that until the council meeting, both the water and solid waste management cess should not be hiked.
Corporators Lancelot Pinto, A C Vinayraj, Praveenchandra Alva, Bhaskar K, Naveen D’Souza, Anil Kumar, Ashraf, Samshuddin, Zeenath and others were present.
