PESHAWAR: Traders here have rejected the increase in water charges and refused to pay the bills to the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) unless the increase is withdrawn.

Peshawar Chamber of Small Traders and Industries president Shakeel Ahmed Khan, vicepresident Ihtesham Haleem and Anjuman-i-Tajiran provincial president Malik Mehr Ilahi said in a joint statement that the water rate had been increased by over six times.

Sharing details with this correspondent on Friday, Mehr Ilahi said that the consumers were paying Rs1,320 per connection of water for six months, which had now been increased to Rs8,820 from the current month. He said that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and local government minister Inayatullah Khan should take notice of the reservations of consumers and withdraw the increase otherwise they would not pay the water charges.

Criticising the role of WSSP, Mehr Ilahi said that it had failed to serve the citizens despite spending billions of rupees. He said that the merger of Peshawar Municipal Corporation with WSSP was a big mistake on part of the government as no change was felt in the cleanliness and water supply system in the city.

He claimed that contaminated water was being supplied to the consumers. He said that leaking pipelines could be seenin parts ofthe city.

The traders` leader urged the government to implement the water supply plan which had been decided some years ago so that the people would get drinking water from Warsak Canal on a reasonable rate.Bureau Report