Call for review of surcharge
The state government has been urged to review the surcharge imposed on the so-called 'heavy water users' as it affects poor households with extended family members living under one roof.
Barisan Nasional Jawi constituency coordinator Tan Cheng Liang said she received complaints from two poor families in the Jawi constituency who found it quite a burden to pay the surcharge.
"The Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) should look at the number of residents living in a house and their financial status before slapping them with surcharges on their water usage.
"Not all heavy water users are from rich families. There are many large families living under one roof but are from poor backgrounds," she said after getting people to take part in Penang Barisan Nasional's Penang Free Port signature campaign at the Taman Berjaya market here yesterday.
Tan said PBAPP presently imposed surcharges on households with four members that used more than 70,000 litres every two months.
She said one of the poor families, which used an average of 130,000 litres of water every two months, was slapped with a surcharge of about RM14.40 per bill.
"But, there are 10 people living in this particular house. It is unfair to impose the surcharges on them," she said.
The other family, which has eight members, used 109,000 litres of water in two months and was slapped with a surcharge of RM9.36, she said.
On the signature campaign, Tan said more than 1,000 residents in Jawi have so far signed to support it.
"Our free Penang Port signature campaign is not the same as the state government's free the port signature campaign, which is a separate issue.
"We are talking about bringing back the free port status to the Penang Port while the state is talking about the proposed privatisation plan for the Penang Port," she said.
Tan also called on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to make public the written reply by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in parliament on June 19, where the premier had said that he would consider reinstating free port status for the Penang Port, if the people supported it.
- The Star -
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