20000214

People complain

of receiving

inflated water

conservancy bills

KARACHI: The water conservancy bills issued to the people exceeds their monthly salaries as the bills also include arrears of several previous years.

According to a grade seven employee of Sindh Government residing in a 120 square yard house in District Central, he received a water conservancy bill of Rs 5,324 for the current financial year and previous few years (1996-2000). The bill was issued after a period of five years or more and how can I pay this bill at once while my gross salary is below Rs 2,500 per month, he said.

Another resident, working as daily wager in a local garment factory said that a bill of Rs 4,050 is issued to him carrying penalty for non-payment of arrears also.

The area (block) in which I live in remained without water for consecutive five years (1994-1999) and water supply was restored to after orders by the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court. How can the KWSB claim water charges these five years, he questioned appealing to the KWSB management to took into account problems faced by its consumers.

"We support recovery drive started by the new administration but because of issuance of inflated bills, recovery campaign is likely to suffer," another consumer of KWSB said.

It is note worth that compared to the number of housing units present in the city only 10 percent water users are paying water conservancy bills.ÑAPP