Urban residents in Himachal Pradesh who have multiple washrooms in their homes are likely to face the impact of these new charges. Around 10 lakh people in the state residing in urban areas are expected to bear the brunt
People residing in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh will now be taxed based on the number of toilet seats they have in their houses. The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government which is facing a financial crisis in the state has recently issued a notification in this regard.
The government notification related to sewerage and water bill states that a fee of Rs 25 have to be paid per toilet seat built in the houses of those residing in urban areas. Along with the sewerage bill, this additional fee will be transferred to the account of the Jal Shakti Department.
The government notification states that the sewerage bill will be 30 percent of the water bill. Those who use water from their own source and only use the sewerage connection from the government department must pay a charge of Rs 25 per toilet seat every month. The department has issued orders to all divisional officers to this effect.
Earlier, water bills were not issued in Himachal Pradesh. The BJP government had announced that free water will be provided if it comes to power in the state. However, the Sukhu government in Himachal Pradesh has now ordered to issue water bill of Rs 100 per connection every month. This has started from October.
Those residing in urban areas are expected to bear the brunt of these new government charges. This is because people usually construct several washrooms in their houses and now a fee will be levied on each toilet seat.
Himachal Pradesh has a total of 5 municipal corporations, 29 municipalities and 17 Nagar Panchayats, housing a total of around 10 lakh people. Hence the new government order is expected to affect a large population in the state.
