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WATER BECAME MORE EXPENSIVE FOR UNKNOWN REASONS
[05:32 pm] 02 June, 2006

The NGOs `Defense of the Rights of Consumers’ and `Union of
Consumers’ were concerned not by the fact that since July 1 one cubic
meter of drinking water will cost 174 AMD instead of 125 but that this
operation was carried out without keeping the consumers aware of
it. Although the heads of the NGOs rendered a press conference today
to inform the journalists about the reasons, they confessed that they
themselves are not aware of them.

`There exists an agreement between Armenia and the French company but
it has not been made public yet. Last December our Union applied to
the State Committee of water economies to get acquainted with the
agreement and to make offers if possible. But we have not received an
answer yet,’ says Armen Poghosyan, head of the `Union of Consumers’.

Head of the `Defense of the Rights of Consumers’ Abgar Eghoyan
mentions that several provisions of the law have been violated,
violating the rights of the consumers.

`The 20th article of the Water Code defines that the participation of
the society is obligatory in processing the strategy of water
tariffs. The 48th article defines that the society must be aware of
the discussions of the issue. But nothing has been said in that
connection. Everything is over, but they do not make people aware of
it,’ Abgar Eghoyan says.

The organizations have decided to apply to the Ombudsman to appeal the
decision.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress