HC seeks govt response on plea agaist waste collection charge

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice N K Jain and Justice R S Chouhan issued notices to the state government, Jodhpur Municipal Corporation, Jodhpur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited and Ramky seeking their reply by January 8. It asked why the notification in this regard should not be stayed.

Petitioner Anil Bhandari had challenged the addition of the user charges in the electricity bill against the door to door waste collection scheme, recently introduced in Jodhpur by the municipal corporation in association with Ramky.

The petitioner's counsel Sunil Bhandari argued in the court that these charges amount to the violation of the Constitution.

"Besides, this (collection of waste) is the duty of the municipal corporation and by doing so the corporation is shirking from its duty," Bhandari argued.

He claimed that the service has introduced in about 15 wards of the city but the charges have been levied on consumers from all the 65 wards of the city and even from the areas which do not fall in the jurisdiction of the municipal corporation and termed it a an "autocratic move of the government".