Pune: A section of politicians has demanded that PMC waive the water tax for city residents, who have been facing supply cuts since Oct 15 in the face of looming water scarcity in an El Nino year.“Citizens are forced to spend thousands of rupees out of their own pockets for private water tankers for this basic resource. It is imposing a severe financial burden on residents of Pune, who are already grappling with rising inflation,” said Ashwini Kadam, former chairperson of the standing committee.Nilesh Nikam, leader of the opposition in PMC, has supported the demand. Emphasising that financial relief for citizens would be a welcome gesture, he said, “Such a waiver will send a positive message to struggling residents. Further, PMC should also take other measures to help citizens deal with the water crisis.”Civic officials explained that a number of charges are levied under the property tax header, including water, street, general, conservancy, fire, sewage and education taxes. Over 15 lakh properties fall within the tax ambit of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).It has been a fortnight since once-a-week water cuts were introduced every Thursday. PMC officials said the decision was taken due to relatively lower stock than last year at the same time in dams that supply water to civic areas.According to one such official, a waiver on water tax is a special measure that would be a policy decision and cannot be taken solely at the administration level. “Approval from the general body and standing committee will be needed before granting such a waiver,” said the senior official from PMC’s tax department.
