12 May 2004	Wednesday	21 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, May 11: The Lahore District Council opposition leaders have demanded withdrawal of 80 per cent increase in water bills imposed without the approval of the council and refund of amounts recovered on this account.

Opposition leader Navid Sadiq and secretary Ilyas Khan voiced the demand at a press conference here on Tuesday. They said the district Nazim, who often stated that the union council Nazims could not affix even a brick without the approval of the council, had himself increased water bills by 80 per cent and included sanitation fee without the council approval.

They claimed that the council had approved inclusion of sanitation fee in the water bills but the Nazim had increased it 10 times by ordering its recovery at the rate of 30 per cent of water supply bills instead of the nominal rates prescribed by defunct MCL administrator.

He had also went back on his promise to exempt houses up to five marlas from the sanitation fee, they added. They said they had exercised their democratic right by raising a voice against the undemocratic decision of the district Nazim.

They were happy that the Nazim's 'henchmen' had failed to get the motion for inclusion of the enhanced sanitation fee in the bills adopted against public interest.

They urged the Nazim to order recovery of the water supply bills at old rates and refund of the excess amount to the consumers. They said they would not only agitate for the acceptance of the demand but also approach the courts if the Nazim insisted on extorting water bills at revised rates without the approval of the council.