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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, Aug 10: Ruling BJP councillor in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) Rajendra Trivedi has urged Mayor Bharati Vyas to take up the issue of Panam Water Works Agreement with the Chief Minister at the earliest.
Even as Trivedi demanded that the matter be taken up with the State Government again in the General Board meeting on Monday, Lokshahi Morcha councillor Chandrakant Shrivastav questioned if the VMC could have moved the court when the previous Rashtriya Janata Party Government cancelled the agreement earlier this year.
To raise revenue, the RJP government revised water rates for commercial and domestic use and cancelled 26-year-old agreement between the State Government, the VMC, IPCL, GSFC and Gujarat Refinery. Following cancellation of the agreement, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation was asked to pay water charges.
The VMC was also asked by the executive engineer (Panam Project) to pay outstanding amount of Rs 18 crore. The notice given last month stated that if the VMC paid Rs 2.50 crore in installments, it would have to give water charges as per the old rates, about 15 paise per 1,000 litres as against new rates of 50 paise.
In reply to representation, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Administration) H S Patel said the talks were already on with the State Government over reconsidering the cancellation. Patel said although the agreement was not signed, as per verbal agreement both the parties had abided by the terms and condition.
