SHAH ALAM, 11 SEPT: The Selangor Water Supply Company (Syabas) has been dragged to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims for allegedly failing to manage the water supply well thus affecting the residents in the Klang Valley.
Member of Parliament for Pandan, Rafizi Ramli, representing 15 residents from Ampang and Pandan submitted the claims file to the tribunal against Syabas following a series of water supply disruptions since last year.
He said the 15 claims files are efforts in the early stage and claims compensation of RM50 for each day there was water supply disruptions.
“The copy will be sent to Syabas, and Syabas has to attend (the tribunal) three weeks from now to defend themselves as to why they were unsuccessful in ensuring that the water supply in Selangor was carried out properly and not burden the consumers.
This petition in relation to water supply disruption caused by the pipe system damage at the Wangsa Maju Pump House which resulted in the disruption of water supply for three weeks in December 2012, and once on 27 August.
Rafizi said this after submitting the claim files at the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Office at Menara MRCB in Shah Alam.
“This is a matter to ensure that Syabas is responsible to consumers, because previously they have not needed to answer to anyone, if they wanted to cut the water, they would just cut it, even if it was for two to three weeks they did not inform (the people). Consumers need to know that they have rights when disruptions such as this happen,” he added.
Rafizi said that he has received 200 more claim filed from the residents of Ampang, Pandan, Kelana Jaya and Klang who also wants Syabas to be responsible for the difficulties they faced.
“All this while the people could not afford to take action because Syabas was protected by the concession agreement and we could not access their files, in addition to expensive legal fees,” he said.
Rafizi stressed that consumers have the right under Section 53 of the Consumer Protection Act 1999 which provides for every services to be accompanied by a guarantee and it should be done carefully and properly.
Rafizi claimed that Syabas did not carry its duties properly and skilfully as provided by the law and allowed repeated damage to pipes.
The Tribunals has set 3 October 2013 as the date to hear the claims of the 15 residents.