The Ombudsman of Chubut, Claudia Bard, together with other provincial ombudsmen of the Association of Ombudsmen of the Argentine Republic, met with the Secretary of Energy of the Nation, Eduardo Rodríguez Chirillo, to discuss the increases in gas rates and of light.
The growth of consultations and complaints due to the high costs of public services bills that were received at the Ombudsman’s Office of each province was discussed. According to the press release, this growing demand is due to the “anguish of users, businesses and SMEs due to the impact of the removal of subsidies on seasonal prices during the period of greatest consumption.”
It was highlighted that users are not free to choose the provider, and therefore requested predictability, gradualness and clear accessibility of information.
Bard did not agree with several of the concepts expressed by the secretary when referring to the Patagonian area and, in particular, Chubut. Above all, in relation to the way users in the area consume and the removal of future subsidies for gas and energy.
The defender disagreed about how the secretary qualifies Patagonians’ consumption of both services. Chirillo described the increase in gas use in the Patagonian area as “a waste of users.”
Given this vision, Bard highlighted that “in the last 20 years, a better quality of life has been achieved by extending the gas and electricity network in areas where services did not reach, and this is improving the quality of life of families who can heat their homes.” homes.”
The defender expressed her concern about the excessive increases in gas bills in this last month, a situation denied by the secretary, but which was exemplified by the 2,000 complaints that arrived at the office in Rawson.
