KARACHI: KWSB’s chief engineer, others face action
KARACHI, Feb 23: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday placed the chief engineer of KWSB, Asoodo Mal, under suspension for his failure to shift the water and sewerage lines under new M A Jinnah Road to road-sides as per his policy while carrying out development works on the road from Mazar of Quaid-i-Azam to Jail Chowrangi.
He also ordered issuance of show-cause notice to other concerned officers and consultants M/s Techno Consultant, and black-listed the concerned contractor of the Water Board.
The nazim, who had earlier visited the road at 1pm, paid a second surprise visit at 8pm, with DCO Fazlur Rehman and responsible officers of the KWSB, City District Government and the consulting firm.
Earlier, on seeing the labourers working on the water pipeline, the EDO Works told the Nazim that staff of Water Board is repairing the water line. He asked why the line was being repaired instead of its shifting.
He showed displeasure over labourers working on the pipeline in the absence of any responsible officer of the Water Board and asked the Managing Director of the KWSB over telephone that concerned officer should have been present there.
Mustafa Kamal said if he had come to the site according to the schedule, all the concerned officers would have been present there. But since he is on a surprise visit, no officer is there and labourers are working.
He directed that during the course of development work, there should be tangible reasons about absence of concerned engineer or else strict action would be taken against the official concerned.
Mustafa Kamal took notice of lack of planning for shifting of utility services, including water and sewerage lines, to roadsides and had expressed indignation over the lack of interest on the part of KWSB officers and their negligence.
He asked for a briefing from EDO Works and Services regarding shifting of utility services, including water and sewerage lines to the brink of road and about preparation of a plan for disposal of rain-water. However, the official could not satisfy the Nazim.
Expressing concern, Mustafa Kamal said his policy is that before undertaking construction work of major roads, all utility services lines must be first shifted to road-sides.
On the occasion, the Nazim noted that there is no coordination between Water Board and the Works Department while the consultants too were not fulfilling their responsibilities.
He told the officials that work on the road is not being done rightly and satisfactorily and he is not satisfied.
The nazim inquired about the project details from the officials of the consultant firm and the water board and pointed out that clear instructions had been conveyed to all that utilities would now be shifted to one side of all the roads which are now to be constructed.
He lamented that his instructions were not followed by the consultant firm and the contractor and if he had not inspected the site, they would have constructed it and the water and sewerage lines would have remained under it.
He said that the road would have again been dug out a few weeks after resulting in the wastage of millions of rupees spent on it.
Therefore, he said, strict action must follow against such people who have committed negligence in the performance of public service.
He directed the DCO Karachi to put the Chief Engineer KWSB Asoodo Mal under suspension and call for the entire record of the consultants as to which projects they had been working on.—APP
