Thursday, March 7, 2013

MediaSelangor:Water Shares For The People

Five million people of Selangor are set to receive water industry shares should the State Government successfully acquire the water industry in the state.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that if the four concessionaires involved agree to the offer of RM9.65 billion, the State Government can issue one stock unit to every citizen of Selangor.

The water share units is a translation of the Selangor Government’s policy and Abdul Khalid’s intention prior to this to give the feeling that the people of Selangor have an interest in the industry.

“The population of Selangor is over five million. We offer RM9.65 billion. If the RM2,000 shares multiply with the five million people, the total is RM10 billion.

“The excess, we will collect up to RM10 billion to accommodate the payment. It is not paid for by the people but by the State Government.

Bernama:Selangor MB Will Update On Restructuring Of State Water Industry In 2 Weeks

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said he would be announcing the outcome of discussions with four water concession holding companies to restructure the water industry in the state in two weeks.

The four water concession companies are Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd (PNSB), Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash) and Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd (ABASS).

He said the discussions were still in progress between the state government through Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad (KDEB) and the concession companies involved, besides Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB).

"There are several initiatives to find the solutions before the matter is presented to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry. KDEB as well as Puncak Niaga will from time to time announce developments on the discussions," he told a media conference here Wednesday.

KiniBiz:No deal yet for S’gor water

As the deadline for Selangor’s latest RM9.65 billion takeover offer rolls by, three of the four water concessionaires said that they want further discussions before they can accept the deal.

This was announced to Bursa Malaysia by Puncak Holdings Bhd and Gamuda Bhd today, Meantime, Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the state will give an update in the next fortnight, Bernama reported.

Abdul Khalid said: “There are several initiatives to find the solutions before the matter is presented to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry. (State investment arm) Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) as well as Puncak Niaga will from time to time announce developments on the discussions,” he told a media conference.

Gamuda, which owns 40 percent of water treatment company Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Holdings (Splash) said that while it is seeking further talks, it is “willing to pursue an agreement” after all terms are clarified.

Friday, March 1, 2013

MediaSelangor:Free Water Scheme Saves Water Consumption

Water consumption throughout Selangor has decreased since Pakatan Rakyat implemented the 20 cubic metres of free water scheme.

In addition, more than 1.3 million families have saved RM1,200 per year since the scheme was implemented four years ago.

Meanwhile, for some consumers who have yet to receive the free water scheme, they have saved RM875 in the past five years. This is after the Selangor State Government prevented the increase of water tariffs by the Selangor Water Supply Company (Syabas – Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor).

The statistics are based on the 20 cubic metres per month which amounts to RM11.40.

If the Pakatan Rakyat Government did not govern Selangor and Syabas was allowed to increase water tariffs, the cost of water for every household from January 2013 is RM18.80 per month for 20 cubic metres.

Apart from saving consumers money, the scheme has resulted in the saving of water consumption throughout Selangor since 2007. This is according to a Selangor Water Monitoring Committee recently.

MediaSelangor:Concessionaires Respond Positively To State Government’s Offer

The four concession companies managing the water industry in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya have began to respond positively towards the RM9.65 billion offer by the Selangor State Government to takeover their operations, said Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

According to him, all four concessionaires have submitted response letters to the State Government and it is deemed to be a good sign for the acquisition of the water industry in Selangor.

However, he said that formal announcements on the matter will only be informed further starting tomorrow.

“All this which the Federal Government has been assuming that all concessionaires will reject the offer given by the State Government, but what has happened now is the opposite.

“The State Government will write to the concessionaires concerned to provide further information on this acquisition process, where it will be carried out in stages.