Party activists padlock water supply bill counters

By Our Correspondents,Dharan, Aug. 6: A recent decision by the Dharan Water Supply Board to hike water tariffs has sparked a protest by political parties, resulting in the padlocking of the bill counters. The political parties are demanding the withdrawal of the decision to hike tariffs.

Denial of Mayor Harka Raj Rai, who also chairs the Water Supply Management Board (WSMD), to sit for dialogue even after the agitating representatives of the political parties padlocked the WSMD office on Sunday prompted the parties to padlock the bill counters on Monday. 

Tajub Limbu, president of Janata Samajwadi Party Dharan, highlighted that the bill counters would remain closed until Mayor Rai reduced the recently hiked drinking water tariffs, which have drawn widespread objection from the Dharan residents.

The parties have formed a 10-party joint struggle committee to oppose the tariff hike, by organising a silent rally on July 27. Following this, they issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the water supply board, which went unanswered, prompting the lockdown of the board's facilities on Sunday.

Criticism has been directed at the Water Management Board, with allegations that the tariff hike was implemented arbitrarily by Chairman Rai, bypassing a formal board meeting.

Shyam Pokhrel, Dharan City President of Nepali Congress, raised concerns over the sudden tariff hike, noting that the new tariffs were fixed without calling a meeting of the executive committee of the Water Supply Management Board.

Meanwhile, in Inaruwa, the padlocking of Sunsari Multipurpose Campus in Inaruwa Municipality Ward No. 4 ended on Monday afternoon. 

The Campus was locked on Monday morning by the Inaruwa City Educational Reform Campaign demanding regular lectures, financial transparency, improved teacher-student relations, a conducive learning environment, and reinstatement of unfairly dismissed professors.

Following discussions involving campus head Ramesh Kumar Mandal and board chairman Raju Dhakal, the padlocking was lifted.