Chandigarh, July 1 -- In some relief for the fund-strapped Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC), the UT administration on Monday approved a 6 paise per unit hike in electricity tax/cess, which will now mean an increased power bill for city residents. The proposal, initially withdrawn by former AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor in November last year, was recently greenlit by the BJP-led House in March, with minimal objections from both ruling and Opposition parties. In a letter addressed to the UT administration, MC officials had in April outlined the necessity of the hike. "During weekly meetings to review the financial position of the MC, emphasis was laid on enhancing internally generated revenue and curtailing unnecessary expenditures to improve the financial health of the corporation, which is currently passing through a difficult time. Accordingly, a proposal to increase the existing municipal/ electricity cess from Rs.0.10 per unit to Rs.0.16 per unit was placed in the General House meeting on March 25. After detailed deliberations, the proposal was duly approved by the House." The MC has been earning a revenue of approximately Rs.15-16 crore per annum at the existing rates and with the increase in rate of cess, the revenue under this head will climb to approximately Rs.22-23 crore. Besides, the secretary of local bodies department of the UT administration also approved Rs.1,000 for MC, from every four-wheeler registration, sold within MC limits. Earlier, Rs.500 was being charged by the RLA, which was later transferred to MC in the 'cow cess' head. This comes at a time when the city's infrastructure has taken a severe hit - broken roads, damaged footpaths, neglected parks and poorly maintained public toilets, as the MC continues to grapple with a fund crunch. Needless to say, UT residents are facing the brunt of it. Despite the UT administration releasing annual grants-in-aid periodically, the funds remain insufficient to initiate new projects. Since May last year, no fresh tenders have been floated, effectively bringing the city's growth to a standstill. Essential projects, including re-carpeting of roads, renovation of community centres, improvement of public toilets and cremation grounds, and beautification of markets, have all been stalled....