The JVP fired its first salvo against the proposed water tariff hike by demanding that the government declare null and void the gazette notification seeking to increase water prices.

JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, making a special statement in Parliament, said that the government had issued a gazette notification extraordinary (No.1588/26) on February 13 seeking to increase water tariff with effect from February 15.

This price hike had increased the water bills by several times and would certainly affect both the common man and industries badly.

Earlier, household subscribers had to pay a service charge of rupees 50/- a month. Now this had been changed so that household subscribers will have to pay a monthly service charge between Rs. 50/- and 1,600/-. This will definitely add to the burden of common man writhing under the cost of living, he said.

Common household subscribers usually consume around 15 to 25 units of water monthly.

They constitute the majority of water consumers. The new tariff would increase their water bills by nearly three fold. The water bill of a house that consumes 20 unites had been increased fro, Rs. 131/- to Rs. 397.60. This is an increase by 203.51%. The lowest consumer use around 15 units of water and their bill had been increased from Rs. 84/- to 218.30. The houses that consume around 40 units of water would have to pay around Rs. 2,464 monthly.

The Government says that it had given relief to Samurdhi families, but that relief would be applicable only to families that consume less than 15 units.

So, this said relief 1s just an eye-wash.

Places of religious interest had only paid a fixed tariff of Rs. 50/-. But the new price hike made them pay between of Rs. 50-1,600/-. This cannot be approved.

Small shops and restaurants were charged only a 70 rupee fixed tariff. But under the new price revision, they’ll have to pay Rs. 1,000/- This will definitely result in sudden increase in all food items from a cup of tea to a dish of gravy.

Most of the factories consume around 20,000 units per month. The new tariff will make it compulsory for such factories to pay around Rupees 100,000/- a month. The small and medium scale industries usually consume at lest 1,000 units of water. They’ll be charged around Rupees 4,000/- a month. The industrialists will have to shift this burden to their customers by means of increasing the prices of their products.

Every government around the world gives concessions to support their industries hit by the global economic revision but our government has slapped a new tariff which is unbearable, he said.

Therefore, we demand the annualment of the gazette notification 1588/26 issued on February 13 immediately, he said.