Residents want to know Syabas plan

19/03/2007 The Star By K.W. MAK

A hundred condominium residents want Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) to reveal the proposal on migration of water meter control from management companies to Syabas.

The residents had earlier called for the migration because they are subjected to bulk water meter charges of RM1.38 per cubic metre compared to the domestic rate of 57 sen per cubic metre.

Syabas earlier said a proposal to amend the law enabling Syabas to take over the metres has been submitted to the state government but there has been no reply.

“The people are satisfied with the All-PJ Pro Action Committee (Appac) and the Condominium, Apartments and High-rise Committee (CAHC) and they have given us the mandate to act on their behalf,” said CAHC pro tem chairman Tengku Nazaruddin Zainuddin.

“Syabas told to us that we could not have the proposal and have asked us to wait until this month for it to be implemented, which we have. Yet there has been no news.”

CAHC vice-chairman Khong Chee Seng said there were precedents on apartments being billed directly by the state water authority and highlighted the case of Sea Park Apartments that is being billed by the authority since 1983.

Earlier in the forum, many condominium residents stepped forward to talk about the disparity in the rates that they are paying.

Peter Foo of Dataran Millennium said the residents there are charged RM2.38 per cubic metre of water by the management corporation and several attempts to get Syabas officials to assist in the matter failed.

Patrick Tan of Goodyear Court, meanwhile, urged condominium owners to pressure the respective state assemblymen to lobby for the migration of water metre control to Syabas.