Separate tariff is needed for ACC to install meters from its own resources

The Main State Inspectorate for Market Surveillance, Metrology and Consumer Protection agrees with the National Agency for Energy Regulation's position that SA Apa-Canal Chisinau (ACC) should instal private and collective water meters from its own financial resources. At the same time, the Inspectorate says a separate tariff should be approved for this service, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference on February 7, the Inspectorate's head Alexandru Cuzimuc said the separate tariff that should be approved by the Chisinau Municipal Council is needed for covering the costs of purchasing, installing, checking and using the water meters. Galina Cotet, the head of the ACC's legal service, said after the conference that the company does not have money to fix meters and demands a separate tariff for this service She also said that there is needed a standard contract for the installation of the meters. She explained that the current methodology for calculating tariffs does not allow including the costs of fixing meters in the water and sewerage charges. “When we have a perfect contract with dwellers, which will impose equal obligations, the conflicts will disappear as the consumers will realize that they have certain obligations to fulfill,” said Galina Cotet. Last week, the head of the National Agency for Competition Protection Viorica Carare said that SA Apa-Canal Chisinau is obliged to install water meters free of charge and should no more make the consumers to pay for the technical losses.