KATHMANDU.

The consumers have asked the government to immediately scrap its decision to hike the retail price of bottled and jar water arguing that the price was increased by 40 per cent than that of the rate fixed by the traders in the market. 

They have accused the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection Management of increasing the price of jar water in connivance with the traders. The Department on Monday decided to fix the price of jar water at Rs 50 and maximum retail price of bottled water at Rs 16 with effect from August 26. 

Chairman of Consumer Rights Research Forum Madhav Timilsina said that the government was adding to the economic burden on consumer by hiking the price of drinking water at the interest of the industrialists. Instead of paying attention to its quality, the government is hiked the price of jar water, he added. Nepal Bottled Water Industries Association was lobbying for long to increase the price of jar water. National Consumer Forum Bhaktapur chapter chair Manoj Thapa also decried the government decision saying that the move would obviously affect the consumers. He, however, claimed that most of the companies preparing bottled water were not meeting the standards of quality.