Himachal CM denies of imposing ‘Toilet Tax’ in state

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday refuted claims of imposition or proposal of so-called 'Toilet Tax' in the hill state.Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday tweeted, “Unbelievable, if true! While PM @narendramodi ji, builds Swachhata as a people’s movement, here is @INCIndia taxing people for toilets! Shame that they didn’t provide good sanitation during their time, but this step will shame the country!”While interacting with the media at New Delhi, Sukhu said that such claims are baseless and should not be used for political purposes. "In the light of Haryana vidhan sabha elections, the BJP is either playing the religion card or sometimes raising the fabricated toilet tax issue. No one should attempt to politicize issues purely for political gains, especially when the allegations are far from reality."Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti Vibhag’s 5-page notification issued on September 21 to revise the rates of water supply in the state with effect from October 1 is at the root of the controversy. This notification imposed Rs 100 per domestic connection per month as water charges in rural areas from October 1 which has not gone down well with people. Earlier there were not water charges in rural areas. Also, prescribing further terms and conditions, the notification mentioned, “Where in urban areas, some establishments use their own water sources and the sewerage system of the department, sewerage charges be levied @ Rs 25 per seat per month.” This part of the notification had raised many eyebrows and the opposition had targeted the Congress government in the state.The chief minister also added on Friday that prior to vidhan sabha elections 2022, the then BJP government in Himachal had introduced the free sops worth Rs 5,000 crore, including provision of free water, in a bid to secure electoral success. He said that free water was also offered to five star hotels. In view of this, the present state government has taken steps to rationalise the water subsidy and decided to impose minimal charges of Rs 100 per connection per month in the rural areas, said Sukhu. He added that families capable of paying water bills have no issues in doing so in the state's interest.Taking a dig at the Congress government, state BJP president Dr Rajeev Bindal said that taxing toilets is a sign of mental illness. He added that the Sukhu-led Congress government will be known as a government that imposes taxes and locks down institutions. The BJP leader added that now by imposing tax on toilet sheets in homes, it has proved that the Congress government is bent on imposing tax on everything and in the coming time it can also impose tax on air.