Lahore - The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has urged the Lahore Development Authority and the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) to review the decision to fix water charges on monthly basis for industrial sector.

The demand was raised by LCCI Senior Vice President Khawaja Shahzad Nasir and Vice President Fahim-ur-Rehman Saigal while talking to a group of industrialists here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Khawaja Shahzad Nasir said that through a notification, LDA has fixed Rs.100,000 per month and Rs.50,000 per month respectively for installation of tube-well sized 1 cusec and ½ cusec for industrial, commercial, non-residential and corporate bodies while 10% surcharge will also be imposed in case of late payment.

He said that industrialists will have to pay this huge amount on just installation of tube-wells whether they are using water or not. “At a time when trade & industry is in deep trouble due to high input cost, falling competitiveness in the international market and various other challenges, formula of fixation of water charges will bring more challenges for the industrial sector,” he said.

Fahim-ur-Rehman Saigal said that there was a time when a businessman calculates Return on Investment keeping in view the cost of doing business but in the present scenario, they cannot plan for future. The LCCI office-bearers hoped that the Lahore Development Authority, Lahore Water, Sanitation Agency (LDA) will review its decision of fixing water charges, in the larger interest of the industry.