MARGAO
Just imagine a situation when people inhabiting a Housing Board area are in receipt of hefty water bills running into thousands of rupees?
Daily wage earners, including those eking a living on vending and other odd jobs, on Thursday descended at the PWD Water Supply office with water bills, ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 and Rs 60,000 for water consumption for periods, ranging from 150-172 days.
With anxiety writ large on their faces, the residents had a simple question to ask the Water Supply engineer “ how are they expected to pay the bills when their daily wage income is bare minimum to make both ends meet?
The delegation, mostly comprising of women, wondered how the common man has been slapped with hefty water bills when the Chief Minister had promised to provide free water supply to the common man.
Demanding rectification of the bills, the water consumers have threatened to sit on a dharna and go on a hunger strike if the government does not revise the bills and the units. “How is the common man going to eke a living if they are forced to spend the entire earning only on water,” an agitated Kathija Mansur thundered.
She further demanded to know how the PWD, water supply officials have served the bills after a gap of six months. “These officials had to first tell us where they had gone all these months when they are mandated to serve the bills every month. From where are the people going to arrange the money to pay the bills,” she asked.
PWD officials told the people to submit their grievances in writing, promising to look into the complaints of overcharging. A PWD official, however, later told the media that though the bills were serve after a gap of six months, the water consumption rate was computed on a monthly basis.
“We would like to tell the government to come out with a package for the common man to clear the bills. If not we will all go on a hunger strike in support of our demands,” Kathija warned.
