Water consumers seek intervention in planned tariff hike<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Activists of the Jakarta Water Consumers Community (Komparta)
\nreported the city administration to the National Ombudsman
\nCommission on Tuesday for its plan to increase the tap water
\ntariff at regular intervals but arbitrary rates.<\/p>\n
Komparta executive director Armstrong J.J. Sembiring said the
\nplanned increase would be effective January 2005, although a
\ndistrict court had ordered the administration to suspend a hike
\nimposed in December 2003.<\/p>\n
The administration also plans to implement a tariff increase
\nevery six months to meet the demands of PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ)
\nand PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), the two foreign partners of
\ncity water operator PD PAM Jaya.<\/p>\n
\"I hope the Commission will issue a recommendation to stop the
\nadministration's arbitrary tariff hike policy. If it goes ahead
\nwith the policy, the city will be ignoring a court verdict,\" said
\nSembiring.<\/p>\n
The Central Jakarta District Court ruled on Jan. 29 in favor
\nof the plaintiff, Komparta, ordering the administration to
\nsuspend a 40 percent increase in the tap water tariff it had
\nimposed on Dec. 31, 2003, and improve its services before it
\nimposed any further hikes.<\/p>\n
Sembiring arrived at the ombudsman commission on Jl.
\nAdityawarman, South Jakarta, with Suta Widhya, an individual
\nconsumer, with whom he had already filed a similar complaint with
\nthe National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). The two
\nhave also reported TPJ and Palyja to the city police over their
\npoor services.<\/p>\n
During their meeting with the commission, Suta submitted
\ncopies of letters from many water consumers who had lodged
\nvarious complaints, from disrupted supply to poor water quality.<\/p>\n
\"The water supply to my house has been disrupted for nearly
\ntwo years. We have water only during the day, as the water stops
\nat 7 p.m. every day,\" Suta said, adding that his neighbors
\nsuffered a similar problem.<\/p>\n
\"I hope the administration will not increase the water tariff
\nbefore the operators improve their services,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to ombudsman commission secretary Elisa, the
\ncommission will study Komparta's complaints before it makes any
\nrecommendations to relevant institutions, including the city
\nadministration, the City Council and tap water operators.<\/p>\n
She said the commission had received complaints from both
\nindividuals and organizations over poor public services by
\nvarious government institutions, with 200 complaints received as
\nof October. Last year, the commission received 300 total
\ncomplaints.<\/p>\n
The National Ombudsman Commission was established under
\nPresidential Decree No. 44\/2000 and is tasked with following up
\non reports and information received as regards irregularities
\ncommitted by state institutions.<\/p>\n
As the existing commission has no legal power to punish errant
\nofficials or institutions, it has submitted a bill on the scope
\nof its authority to the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The bill stipulates that any state officials or institutions
\nthat ignore the commission's recommendations could receive
\nadministrative punishment, including dismissals.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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