The BJP, Bhubaneswar district unit on Wednesday demanded that the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) withdraw its User Charges Regulation by April 24 or else it would gherao the civic body office the next day.
“The BMC has announced to collect user fees from slum dwellers, small and roadside vendors and common people to release waste water to the municipality drainage. Besides, it is collecting parking fees of Rs 2 per cycle and Rs 10 per motorcycle. The BJP condemns this,” said party’s Bhubaneswar district president Harekrushna Khuntia at a Press conference here.
He further alleged while many of the residential houses have not yet been connected with sewerage line, the State Government has returned funds allocated for the purposed under the Jawaharlan Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Besides, the BMC has failed to supply drinking water to city denizens.
He urged upon slum dwellers not to pay any kind new taxes to the BMC. He threatened that the party would gherao the BMC office on April 25 if the User Charge Regulation is not withdrawn by then.
Among others, Sameer Mohanty, Golak Mohapatra, Amiya Das and Jagannath Pradhan were present.