Etawah Trade Committee Meeting: Discussions on Water Tax, Power Outages, and Waste Disposal

Key Issues Raised by Traders

A significant meeting of the Trade Committee was held at the new auditorium of the Etawah Collectorate, presided over by District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla and attended by Additional Commissioner Grade One H.P. Rao Dixit. During the meeting, traders presented various problems to the District Magistrate, with the arbitrary collection of water tax, power outages, and city cleanliness being prominent issues.

Dharmendra Jain, District General Secretary of the All India Industry Trade Association, highlighted the arbitrary collection of water tax as a serious problem. He stated that water tax is being levied on buildings that do not consume water and on inactive water connections in many areas, which he described as an injustice to business interests and a question on administrative transparency.

Power Cuts and Civic Concerns

District spokesperson Iqrar Ahmed expressed deep dissatisfaction with the frequent power cuts, citing disruptions to business operations and financial losses. He also drew attention to other important issues, including a suggestion to limit student numbers in coaching institutes to prevent incidents like the fire outbreak in Lucknow.

Ahmed emphasized the need for special vigilance during upcoming festivals such as Chehlum, Independence Day, and Raksha Bandhan. A suggestion was also made to eliminate garbage points on roads and re-establish them as selfie points. Demands were also made to allow passengers to board buses only from the bus stand premises, declare the T.T. intersection a 'block spot,' and clean the drain in the lane near the Sundarpur feeder.

The meeting also addressed the need to inspect the city's large drains to prevent any untoward incidents during the monsoon and to open the Kaharan bridge to the public as soon as possible. An urgent request was made to repair dangling electricity wires and leaning electricity poles near the Pakka Talab Victoria Memorial.

Drainage and Waterlogging Problems

The women's district president demanded the clearance of sewage water from choked drains in the lanes of Ramnagar Shiv Colony. Meanwhile, youth district general secretary Ranjeet Singh Kushwaha urged for a prompt solution to the problems faced by residents due to water accumulation on the road near Pakka Bagh Manikpur crossing during the monsoon.

Numerous traders attended the meeting, including Dharmendra Kumar Jain, Ranjeet Kushwaha, Iqrar Ahmed, Harishankar Patel, Mohammed Uvais, Lallu Warsi, Santosh Verma, Sunil Kumar, Satendra Kushwaha, Archana Kushwaha, and Anju Yadav. The District Magistrate assured that all issues would be heard seriously and necessary instructions would be given to the concerned officials for their resolution.