SaS Demands that URSO Withdraw Directive to Increase Price of Water

Bratislava, October 16 (TASR) - The opposition SaS party demands that the Office for the Regulation of Network Industries (URSO) withdraw a directive due to increase the price of water supplies and also to extend the duration of the memorandum with Slovak power utilities without delay and come up with targeted aid with the household prices of gas and heating, SaS spokesperson Ondrej Sprlak announced on Wednesday. "Two weeks ago, we called on [economy] minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) to unveil at last the specifics of the targeted aid for 2015. The minister, however, has remained invisible and has done absolutely nothing for the targeted and efficient aid with high energy prices," stated SaS MP Karol Galek. In the view of SaS, Slovakia could save up to 80 percent of expenditure with targeted aid. The party also blasted URSO head Jozef Holjencik, who it believes announces growth in energy prices ranging in dozens of percent every single day. SaS's Kosice regional chair Peter Cech pointed out that the memorandum with power utilities still hasn't been extended. "Gas prices for households will go up by 30 percent, heating by ten percent on average and now they've even come up with a way to ratchet up the prices of water," he warned. Cech believes that it's necessary to address the prices of water, which are also to go up because Holjencik decided to make everyone pay a fixed fee in addition to charging consumers for their actual consumption. "We don't deny that a twin-element price has its merit, but not at the time when, starting from next year, the people will have to pay more for practically everything. And furthermore, such a significant change in the water pricing scheme requires a thorough informing of those impacted the most - the Slovak families," added Cech. mf/mcs