Gas bills in Chubut became unaffordable for many residents, with increases exceeding 1000% in some cases. The Ombudsman of the province, Claudia Bard, warned about the situation, “we participated in all the national public hearings where it was warned that the gas increases were going to be 1000%.”
“In many cases, these increases are confiscatory of the income of all of us”, stated Bard in the Activamos program on FM del Viento. “Starting this month, the increase was very brutal. Many neighbors show us that a previous bill of $900 now reaches them for $20,000 or $30,000 pesos.”
The consequences of the increase are serious, Thousands of families cannot pay their bills and are accumulating debt, even before winter arrives, when gas consumption increases considerably. This affects not only homes, but also businesses.
Request to neighbors
The Ombudsman asked users to come forward with their ballots to document the increases. “For us it is essential that neighbors come with this documentation, which is the current ballot and the one from the same period of the previous year that they obtain through the Camuzzi website,” she stated. “Once they contact us in Pueblo Chubut, they approach us or send us those ballots via WhatsApp.”
On the other hand, the official spoke about the gas providers. “The providers have their justification on this issue, on the increases to provide a good service, although the size of the increase is very large and the position of the national government established the removal of all subsidies, except for the cold zone and for the new increases there was no subsidy. We consider that this is of no use to either the borrower or the neighbors.”
Criticism of the national government
Bard also criticized the national government for removing gas subsidies. “Patagonia has employment and in every home there is someone who works, the subsidy has to do with the fact that we are in a cold area where we do need heating, it is not an option not to have heating,” said Bard. “So, if the national state is not going to use the money on subsidies and works, what is it going to be used for? This generates larger bills. If the state subsidized a part as it did before, we would not have this type of increase.”
Protection
Finally, The Ombudsman announced that she will present an injunction together with the province of Río Negro to stop gas increases. “We are going to present an amparo in conjunction with Río Negro and the provincial government will join in making the presentation that we will surely make,” he concluded.
