DMK, alliance parties call for district-wide bandh on Sept 27

Coimbatore: DMK and its alliance parties have called for a one-day bandh in the district on September 27 to condemn the state government and the city corporation for doubling property tax and handing over the 24/7 water supply project to a private firm.
The decision was taken at a meeting that took place at the DMK district head office on Saturday. Alliance parties including CPM and Congress attended the meeting.
Cadres of the parties will stage protests at several places in the corporation limit on September 27, DMK MLA N Karthik told reporters. “We will meet the representatives of trade unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public to seek their support,” he said. “We had staged several protests requesting the state government to withdraw the agreement signed with the French company for implementing the water supply project. But the government has not responded. What was the need to hand over the project to a private firm instead of giving it to the Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD), which has experts in water management and distribution?”
Maintenance of a project has been given to a private company for 26 years for the first time in the history of the city corporation, the DMK leader said. “That too, during the absence of the local body council. Such contracts were signed to a maximum of five years.”
The state government had increased property tax by 25% for residential buildings, 100% for industrial buildings and 150% for commercial buildings from the base rate effective from April 1, 2018. “At a time, when most parts of the city lack working streetlights, good roads and sanitation, property tax has been almost doubled. It is unacceptable. The corporation has already started collecting arrears from the public,” Karthik added.
Coimbatore MP PR Natrajan and TNCC working president Mayura S Jayakumar attended the meeting.