25 June 2004	Friday	06 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, June 24: The government has refused to slash the increase in water bills. Housing and Urban Development Minister Raza Ali Gilani said if the increase was not allowed water and sanitation agencies in various towns would go bankrupt and resultantly close down.

Replying to an adjournment motion of MMA's Dr Waseem Akhtar about a 40 per cent hike in Lahore Wasa charges, he said the power tariff had been increased by 222 per cent during the last five years but there was no increase in water tariff.

The minister said consumers had been provided some relief by reducing sewerage and water connection fees from Rs4,500 to Rs500 and Rs300 respectively. MMA's Arshad Baggu claimed that provincial authorities had written to the Sialkot Wasa, which had increased its water charges by 250 per cent, that it was allowed to increase the charges even by 2,000 percent for its survival.

Dr Waseem regretted that the minister was trying to complicate the issue by giving unnecessary figures. The government must not think like a businessman on every subject as it is supposed to make a deficit investment in the social sector, he said.

He suggested that Wasa could re-introduce high connection fees, check water pilferage through unmetered connections and take other administrative measures to improve its financial health instead of overburdening consumers in one go.

The speaker did not allow further discussion on the issue saying the purpose of an adjournment motion was to draw attention of the government to a specific problem and the objective had been achieved.

Deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah contested the chair's ruling, arguing that the whole exercise would prove futile if the objective was limited to just drawing attention of the government to the problem.

"There should be something more to it than this," he insisted. The chair said it was not necessary to solve an issue within the house only. It could be settled outside as well, the speaker said while disposing of the motion.