KARACHI: Nazim cuts charges for new water connections
By Azizullah Sharif
KARACHI, April 4: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday announced reduction in water connection charges for all categories of consumers by 60 per cent and for notified katchi abadis and villages by 80 per cent, with immediate effect. Besides, procedure for acquiring water connections has been simplified and a timeframe has been fixed for providing connections.
The nazim, who is also chairman of the KWSB, said the board had also decided to outsource its system of issuance of bills and collection of water charges from July 1. The bills would now be issued on a monthly basis.
Speaking at a news conference at his camp office prior to his departure for Malaysia in connection with a presentation arranged by a Malaysian firm on the proposed 24-kilometre-long elevated expressway (from Jinnah bridge to Quaidabad). KWSB managing director Brig Iftikhar Haider was also present.
About the elevated expressway, he said the expressway upon its completion on BOT basis in three years will prove to be a boon for Karachiites and the sufferings of motorists in the wake of VIP movement on Sharea Faisal will come to an end.
Referring to reductions made in the water connection charges, he said shortly after taking over the reigns of the city government, he had asked the KWSB to formulate a consumer-friendly water policy.
He said how big reduction had been made in the water connection charges could be gauged from the fact that if a consumer of a planned area who was, at present, paying Rs 100 would now have to pay only Rs 40 and a consumer of notified katchi abadi and a goth would now be required to pay only Rs 20 as against the existing Rs100.
Describing the reduction made in water connection charges as ‘first step towards relief to common man, Mr Kamal said he had been striving hard to implement the Haq Parast leadership’s manifesto of providing relief to people.
INDUSTRIES: The Nazim said with a view to giving boost to housing and other industries, the KWSB would provide water connections to builders and industries shortly after receiving first instalment from them under the head of water connection charges whereas presently they used to get connections after paying entire amount of water connection charges.
He said that under the new policy, the KWSB would now have to provide water connections within three months and in case an applicant fails to get the connection in three months, he/she would be given 10 per cent rebate and this amount would be deducted from the salaries of officials concerned.
At the outset, he said reduction in water connection charges is the outcome of a number of sessions held with industrialists, builders, Chamber of Commerce and Industries and general public and their suggestions had been incorporated while framing a consumer-friendly policy.
Asked if water tariff was being revised, he replied in the negative, saying although there is no such move, the KWSB’s billing system would be outsourced from the next financial year for issuing and collecting water charges from its consumers on monthly basis. It would lessen the burden on consumers.
SHORTAGE: To another query concerning prevailing water shortage in different localities, he said such a situation had arisen in the wake of drying Hub dam from where supply has been curtailed from 80 to mere 35 million gallons per day.
He, however, said that water supply position would improve considerably in mid-April when K-3 project would be formally inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf.
