Condemning the hike in electricity and water tariffs by the state government in Himachal Pradesh, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded for a rollback.
The party has also asked the state government to guarantee 300 units of free electricity as promised during the assembly elections.
“If the government does not immediately withdraw this decision which has put the burden on the public, the party will mobilise people and start a movement,” said the party’s Shimla district secretary Sanjay Chauhan.
The government has decided to increase electricity rates from 22 to 46 paise per unit from April, he said, adding that along with this, the rate of drinking water has also been increased by 10 per cent.
Before this, the state government had increased the rates of diesel by Rs 3 per liter in January, he lamented.
“Due to the policies of the central government, the public is already suffering from inflation. Now the increase in the rates of basic necessities like electricity, and water by the state government will put more burden on the public,” said he.
The Municipal Corporation Shimla, has increased the fee for garbage collection in the Shimla city by 10 percent from April and now the domestic charge has jumped to Rs 117 per month, which was Rs 40 per month in 2017, he added.
The party also condemned the state government for promoting employment through outsourcing, due to which, more work is being extracted in less salary, said Chauhan.