Wardha: A drum protest was held in Arvi on Tuesday against alleged arbitrary functioning of the council, with citizens and organisations expressing strong anger over a steep house tax hike and poor civic services.The protest was led by Bala Jagtap, founder president of Prahar Social Forum and a Congress leader. Members of multiple political parties and social organisations joined the agitation and raised slogans against the administration. Participants included the Congress, NCP (SP), auto union organisations and masons’ association. Protesters alleged that the civic body revised house tax which is nearly 5 times higher than the previous rate. They termed the hike unjust and accused the administration of financially exploiting citizens. They demanded that the increase be rolled back immediately, citing inadequate basic services.The protesters also highlighted several civic issues, including clogged drains and gutters, rising mosquito menace, risk of epidemics, irregular garbage collection, and acute water shortage in wards. They demanded that drains be cleaned on a war footing before the monsoon, the number of garbage collection vehicles be increased, and water be supplied through tankers until regular supply is restored.Additional demands included setting up auto stands in the city, immediate release of funds to beneficiaries under the housing scheme, and implementation of additional subsidies under the labour welfare board schemes.
