Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday condemned “yet another extra tax” imposed by the “bankrupt” State Government on the people in the shape of water and sewerage cess on the already exorbitant electricity charges in the State.
Also condemning the brutal murder of a party office-bearer in ludhiana, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president expressed grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. “Nobody is feeling safe in the state with robbers and killers acting at their will whenever and wherever they want to,” he said.
“Yesterday’s decision of the State Government to impose water and sewerage cess on the electricity bills reflects its bad financial management. It is a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul,” he said.
He pointed out that the Government has simply passed the onus of its failure to collect water and sewerage charges on all the power consumers.
Besides, the State Government has also not clarified whether the dues charged by the local bodies’ Government for the supply of water and sewerage system stand withdrawn, he added.
“If it is so, the municipal bodies’ functioning will further get paralysed as they are already reeling under severe financial strain,” he observed.
The former Chief Minster said that this government will be remembered for imposing cess on almost everything be it diesel, petrol, electricity or property transfer.
“This Government is already in a financially comatose State,” he remarked, adding, “by imposing cess here and there, it is simply trying to clutch on the straws while putting unnecessary burden on the common man”.
Capt Amarinder also condemned the brutal murder of a party office bearer from ludhiana who was also a jeweler and was killed after being robbed of a huge quantity of gold ornaments.
“The way he was abducted from a busy road during the day time on Barnala-ludhiana road only proved how bad the law and order situation was in Punjab,” he said.
He added, “While earlier people could not dare to venture out on roads after the sunset, now these roads are not safe even during the day time,” he observed, while maintaining that lawlessness and anarchy had become norm of the day.