THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A high-level meeting of the Water Authority has decided to suspend meter readers for giving huge bills for unused water and dismiss the Kudumbasree workers who were assigned to take readings. No decision has been made about reducing the excessive bill or taking the correct reading.
The meeting was convened on the basis of the news published by Kerala Kaumudi regarding huge bills and the editorial 'Water Punishment of Severe Punishment' on the over-billing of unused water.
The meeting of the concerned officials was convened online yesterday by the superintendent engineer. Protests have erupted against the decision to blame responsibility on meter readers. The position that the paper bill need not be given has not changed. Strategies have been devised to ensure that the bill is delivered to all customers via SMS. When some officials said that some customers only had landline numbers and could not send SMS to them, the meeting suggested finding neighbor's number and sending an SMS.
Assistant engineers of Section Offices at Palayam, Kuriyathi, Chalai, Thiruvallam, Pattoor, Thirumala, Peroorkada, Pongummoodu and Sreekaryam and assistant executive engineers of subdivision offices were present at the meeting.
Complaints does not end
Consumers who gave allowance to charge water bills from their bank accounts were the main victims. For some, up to Rs 60,000 went out of their bank accounts. It was only when they inquired about this, they came to know it had gone to the Water Authority’s account.