A total of 40 Parliamentarians, present and past, including senior Ministers, have outstanding water bills running to over Rs. 10 million up to date, local newspaper the Daily News reported in its editorial.
Citing the front page news item that was published in a vernacular weekly, the newspaper reported that the outstanding amounts for the water bills are owed from the residences of 20 MPs.
The Parliamentarians include Cabinet Ministers in the present Parliament, 10 ex-MPs now receiving pensions, and 10 other ex-MPs and Ministers now deceased.
The news report further said there is an outstanding Bill for Rs. 1.8 million by a single MP of the present Parliament out of the Rs.10 million owed to the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) by the group of MPs.
Apart from calling for a probe on the outstanding water bills, the news report also questioned if the defaulted payments of the MPs had been covered under the concessions that were granted to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pointing out that Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has promised to recover the outstanding dues from the MPs concerned, the report questioned if the Minister would slap a penalty for those detected with defaulting the payment of utility bills or whether he would let them get away lightly.
The news article added that the latter choice would be a gross injustice on the general public who are made to feel the full brunt of the law. (NewsWire)