Congress protests for free water in Chandigarh
Demanding 20,000 litres of free water for every household in the city, the Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) staged a protest against the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation (MC) outside the civic body office in Sector 17 on Tuesday.
The protest was led by HS Lucky, president of the CPCC, along with Chetan Chauhan, secretary of the All-India Congress Committee and co-in-charge of Chandigarh. Members of the district and block units, Youth Congress, NSUI and the Mahila Congress also participated.
Scuffle with police during march
Carrying Congress flags and placards reading “20,000 litres of free water is our right” and “Fulfil the promise made to the people”, the protesters marched towards the MC office. As they attempted to lay siege to the office, the police stopped them by putting up barricades. Congress workers tried to push through, resulting in a brief scuffle. They raised slogans against the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Allegations of broken promises
Addressing the gathering, Lucky said that although the proposal for providing 20,000 litres of free water to residents was earlier passed by the MC House, it had not been implemented due to alleged collusion between the BJP and AAP. He noted that the MC has had nine BJP Mayors and one from AAP in the past 10 years, yet neither party made any sincere effort to fulfil this promise. Lucky accused both parties of making attractive promises during elections but abandoning public welfare after coming to power.
The city Congress president said party councillors have been instructed to strongly raise the matter in the House meeting.
Attack on BJP policies
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP’s policies, Lucky said the party was continuously increasing the financial burden on Chandigarh residents — first raising property tax, then increasing water tariff, and now proposing to enhance parking charges.
Chetan Chauhan warned that if the BJP-ruled MC fails to take a positive decision on the issue at the earliest, the Congress would intensify its agitation.
