CHENNAI: Residents of the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation (TCMC) have urged the civic body to immediately withdraw the gazette notification that enables the revision of water tariffs, objecting not only to the three-fold increase in monthly charges but also to the proposed collection of one-time deposits.
The civic body increased the monthly water charge from Rs 50.50 to Rs 150.50 from April 2026 without prior public consultation or notice to consumers, even as several areas continue to receive irregular water supply. The sudden revision triggered protests from residents and apartment associations, who took up the issue with the corporation.
Following the objections, the TCMC commissioner orally assured residents that the revised charges would be reconsidered. However, residents alleged that the corporation continues to collect the revised tariff in Ward 23.
Activist VS Jayaraman told TNIE that although the corporation verbally agreed to review the revised charges, the Chengalpattu District Administration Gazette Extraordinary notification dated November 28, 2025, which empowers the civic body to levy revised tariff through a bylaw, remains in force. Unless the notification itself is withdrawn, TCMC can reintroduce the revised rate at any time in future, he said.
Residents said neither the corporation nor elected councillors held stakeholder consultations before implementing the revision. They also opposed the proposal to levy deposits and consumption charges based on the number of houses, despite providing only limited water connections to apartment complexes.
Calling the move “arbitrary and unreasonable”, they added that deposits are generally collected at a fixed rate irrespective of the size of the premises.“Whenever revisions in public utility charges are proposed, feedback is usually sought from the public, as they are the ultimate beneficiaries and payers. In this case, there was no consultation at all,” a residents’ welfare association representative said.
TCMC commissioner S Balachander was unavailable for a comment.