VISAKHAPATNAM: Opposing hefty water bills, Visakhapatnam Apartment Residents Welfare Association (VARWA) has sought reversion to the old system of billing.

It wanted the tri-monthly billing introduced by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) to be kept in abeyance till a new municipal council was elected.

The association felt that it would be a burden on the middle class people living in apartments to pay the bills amounting to "lakhs of rupees" after spot billing was introduced. Though the water was being used for domestic needs, putting it under semi-bulk category was resulting in exorbitant water bills, the association represented to District Collector A.K. Singhal. Instead, each flat in an apartment complex should be considered a unit and billed at Rs.60 on the basis of which a slab should be worked out, it demanded.

Association general secretary A. Suresh and president Ch.L.N. Sastry and representatives of Amrutha, Maruti, Haritha and Sri Sai Apartments and Swami Residency were among those who met the Collector on Monday and submitted a memorandum.

Assurance

Stating that each family had to shell out around Rs.1,500 a month towards water bills, Mr. Suresh said a decision on water tariff should be taken only after the council was elected and a resolution was passed by it. He termed the decision of the GVMC on water bills arbitrary and unilateral.

Mr. Singhal had assured the delegation that the issue would be discussed with the officials concerned.

The VARWA has decided to meet the Municipal Commissioner also and represent its grievances about water bills to him.

The VARWA has been citing the water bills received by Maruti Towers (Rs.38,385), Kalyan Residency (Rs.25,535) in KRM Colony and Amrutha Apartments (Rs.1,12,142)in Dabagardens as an example of the "whopping bills" issued by the GVMC.

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