Software Company Accused of Exorbitant Fees by Water Consumer Committees

Allegations have surfaced that a software company is charging arbitrary fees for billing, GIS mapping, and website development services to drinking water consumer committees.

Drinking water consumer committees have filed a complaint against Diyalo Technologies with the National Federation of Small Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumer Committees.

Diyalo Technologies, headquartered in Kathmandu, has implemented its software system in 852 drinking water consumer committees across the country. Through this technology, Diyalo Technologies has been providing billing systems, accounting management, and website development services to these committees.

It is alleged that Diyalo charges exorbitant fees from the consumer committees for providing such services. The consumer committees collect the fees due to Diyalo from the consumers themselves, which ultimately burdens the consumers.

A member of the Kohalpur Drinking Water Consumer Committee told Ratopati that a complaint was filed with the National Federation of Small Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumer Committees to investigate the arbitrary fees charged by Diyalo. He stated, 'We have requested the Federation to investigate the lack of uniformity in fees and the arbitrary charges made by Diyalo in the name of hosting charges and renewal.'

Diyalo Technologies charges 300,000 rupees for installing the billing software and 50,000 rupees annually for renewal. It is alleged that Diyalo collected 2.8 million rupees from the Tulsipur Drinking Water Project, one of Nepal's largest drinking water consumer committees, under the guise of GIS mapping.

Committees collect money from consumers to pay Diyalo. Diyalo's Chief Executive Officer, PR Khanal, stated that they charge fees according to the agreement with the consumer committees. He said, 'We charge based on the services provided; I am hearing about the complaint you mentioned now.'

A member of the National Federation of Small Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumer Committees told Ratopati that Diyalo charges 400,000 rupees for software installation from a consumer committee with 500 taps. Eighty-two percent of the general public in Nepal consumes drinking water through consumer committees.