Chandigarh: AAP protesters face water cannons outside MC office
Were agitating against ‘rampant corruption’ and hike in taxes by the municipal corporation; party leader asks UT administration to take strict action against police
Members of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Chandigarh unit staged a protest against ‘rampant corruption’ and hike in taxes by the municipal corporation outside its office here on Tuesday.
Chandigarh Police resorted to using water cannons to prevent the agitators from breaking the barricades.
AAP’s Chandigarh co-incharge Pradeep Chhabra and party’s city president Prem Garg strongly condemned the police action on ‘peaceful’ protesters. AAP leader Chander Mukhi Sharma has asked the UT administration to take strict action against the cops.
Led by Chhabra, Garg and Sharma, the protesters had gathered in front of the MC office in large numbers. They raised slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chandigarh mayor and UT administration.
Chhabra said that corruption in the MC has put a dent on its image. He alleged, “The officials are not doing any work without taking bribe, for which the ruling BJP and mayor are directly responsible.”
Sharma said residents of the colonies in Chandigarh were deprived of facilities like potable drinking water and adequate sewerage system. He claimed that poor families were bearing the brunt of increase in water and sewerage bills by the MC. “The corporation has made people financially weaker by putting an extra burden of taxes on them,” he added.