MARGAO
The hefty water bills and the delay in raising the bills every month dominated the proceedings of the gram sabha of Camurlim village panchayat on Sunday.
The issue over the hefty water bills figured prominently at the gram sabha meeting chaired by Sarpanch Basil Fernandes when agitated members demanded that the panchayat draw the attention of the government as well as the PWD to provide relief to the water consumers from the hefty water bills.
Briefing the media after the meeting, the sarpanch pointed out that the gram sabha members demanded that the government raise the water bills on a monthly basis instead of existing practice of serving the bills every six months.
He further pointed out that the gram sabha members have demanded a rollback of the slab for units beyond the 16,000 litres of water consumed by the people.
“The gram sabha in general has demanded that the government maintain the same old rates. They have pointed out that while the government has made a provision for free supply of water up to 16,000 litres, the PWD has changed the slab beyond this ceiling, affecting the people at large,” he said.
The gram sabha also gave its approval for the budget estimates for the financial year 2022-23.
The sarpanch informed that the panchayat has made a provision to procure a vehicle to streamline the waste collection system.
He further pointed out that the panchayat has decided to go in for waste making blocks machine in the coming financial year.
