RAWALPINDI: The tariff of Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) has been increased up to 40 percent for residential units of more than five marlas and commercial consumers.

According Chairman, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) Tariq Mehmood Murtaza, the tariff would not be increased for five marlas consumers.

The chairman said that the Punjab government is pursuing a policy to provide all possible relief to the citizens.

In view of the policy, it has been decided not to increase the tariff of WASA for the consumers up to five marlas while the tariff of other residential units and commercial consumers have been raised up to 40 percent.

He said that the tariff of WASA was not raised after 2009 while electricity bills and salaries of the employees of the authority have been increasing.

WASA is also facing financial difficulties due to increase in operation and maintenance costs, he added.

In order to ensure better facilities to citizens, the authorities concerned had proposed 130 percent increase in WASA tariff in the governing body meeting held on July 30, 2019 and a summery in this regard was sent to the Punjab government for formal approval, but, the incumbent government exempted five marla houses and approved only 40 percent increase for other residential units and commercial consumers.

The governing body of WASA has approved implementation of new traffic rates with immediate effect providing relief to the consumers as it would not be implemented from the back date, July 2019.