After utilizing waste collection services, Male' City Council has not paid for two years, with the unpaid bills accumulating to more than MVR 116 million, WAMCO stated tonight.
In a statement issued in response to City Council's announcement that it would submit a case to the Utility Regulatory Authority regarding WAMCO's services, the company stated that registering with WAMCO and seeking services under established procedures is always welcome.
However, it stated that the City Council has failed to pay MVR 116,421,129 for services obtained since 2024, presenting obstacles to completing standard customer registration procedures.
According to WAMCO, the main reason for its declining financial sustainability is the failure of major customers to pay outstanding dues.
"The delay in paying pension funds for the corporation's employees is also due to such difficulties in receiving payments. If the City Council regularly pays the money owed to this corporation, it will be possible to recover from past financial losses," the statement read.
WAMCO stated that under its service policy, it retains the right to disconnect services for parties that fail to pay service fees for two consecutive months. Accordingly, discussions were held with the City Council on multiple occasions in 2024 and last year to recover the unpaid funds for services rendered and to maintain uninterrupted service.
However, WAMCO stated that despite repeated requests to submit a payment schedule, Male' City Council has failed to provide adequate cooperation to date.
"Despite this situation, in order to avoid disrupting basic services provided to the public, this corporation continues to provide ongoing services currently utilized by the City Council without interruption. However, due to the unpaid funds, this corporation is currently unable to register additional locations or provide new services for the City Council," the company stated.
Responding to the Council's claims that services are billed to the City Council at a higher rate than commercial businesses, WAMCO stated that services to government institutions and state-owned companies are provided at different rates than standard commercial businesses. The main purpose of determining prices in this manner, as noted in the statement, is to keep service prices for the general public at the most affordable rate.
WAMCO stated that its objective is to provide waste management services to the public in the most effective manner. Therefore, the statement expressed priority toward holding discussions on this issue and reaching an agreement to resolve the matter of outstanding payments.
