JOIN USThe ERC, in its report over four volumes, has recommended that the State government should immediately explore the possibility of introducing a “congestion pricing policy,” which exists in London, Singapore and Hong Kong, in Bangalore city which is facing severe traffic congestion problems."
Under the policy, users of certain roads during peak hours have to pay congestion tax. The State cabinet recently accepted the ERC report. The ERC was headed by former chief secretary B K Bhattacharya and four other members. Many government departments have already started implementing its recommendations.
The commission has expressed concern over the fragile finances of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
It recommended that the government should "quickly" take a decision on the board's proposal to hike water tariff. The government has put the proposal on the back burner following opposition from many ruling party MLAs and corporators.
Elected representatives do not want to incur the wrath of people, who are already hit by the skyrocketing inflation.
The BWSSB, as a result, has been incurring huge losses as the gap between the cost of supply and revenue has been widening day by day. The ERC has, therefore, recommended that the power to revise water tariff should be vested with the respective urban local bodies (ULBs) or water board.
The ERC also wants the government to revisit rates of all road-related taxes like vehicle registration fee and licence fee. The total revenue generated from these sources should be enough to incur the cost of building and maintenance of roads in the State.
Water tariff in all ULBs, including Bangalore, should be on a par with the average cost of supply.
The revenue collected from road taxes, parking fee and congestion charges should be used for providing subsidy for those who use urban transport services, the ERC stated.