KARACHI, May 31: Pakistan Peoples Party legislators and other office-bearers from Lyari on Wednesday warned that if the ruling coalition failed to restore water supply to the town forthwith, people would mount unending protests, including siege of the Governor’s House and CM’s House.

They also threatened that people of the town would stop paying taxes if the authorities failed to ensure adequate supply of water to Lyari from the K-III project now. The threat hints at the brewing trouble in the city’s oldest locality.

Addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club, Secretary General of PPP, Karachi, Rafiq Engineer (MPA) warned officials of the water board and the civil administration that they would be responsible for any deterioration in the law and order situation if they failed to take timely corrective measures, because residents of Lyari were now desperate due to the ‘criminal neglect’ and slogan mongering by a major component of the Sindh coalition.

He was accompanied by PPP MNA Sardar Nabeel , President PPP South district Haji Qasim Baloch, MPA and President PPP ,City Area, Lyari, Dr Salim Hingoro, PPP South General Secretary Najmi Alam, Naib Nazim of Lyari Town Abdullah Rahim Baloch and nazims of all UCs of Lyari Town.

Rafique Engineer took an issue with the ruling coalition on the lack of civic amenities and indirectly held the Muttahida Qaumi Movement responsible for the plight of Layariites, who, he claimed, were being forced to take to the street because of the ‘politics of vengeance’.

Rafiq Engineer demanded that dedicated allocation to Lyari from K-III should commence now because during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s time, people of Lyari had been getting adequate water. But during the 11 years of Gen Zia’s dictatorship, they had been denied water and other basic amenities because they were considered to be the PPP supporters.

Similarly, he added, during Benazir Bhutto’s government, water supply to Lyari was ensured under the Rs460 million COD project on an emergency basis. But after her government, a member of the then coalition, who is also part of the present coalition in Sindh, diverted Lyari’s water to the areas dominated by the supporters of the present coalition.

This inhuman practice, he said, was still continuing. “The party which is taking credit of providing water to Lyari from the COD for the first time, is opposing the supply through its members in the assembly and local body institutions.”

He said that the K-III was one of the biggest water supply projects for the city envisaged by the former city nazim of Karachi. It was meant for ensuring 100mgd additional water supply to the city from the Indus source. Budget speeches in 2005-2006 sessions were testimony to this fact. He said that on the demand of the legislators from Lyari, 10mgd water from this project was allocated for Lyari.

Mr Rafiq Engineer pointed out that the 24-inch dia line from COD Gharo to Lyari already existed and that should be used to ensure provision of Lyari’s share from the K-III project. He alleged that the present city government was trying to hoodwink local people in this regard.

He said that Lyari’s population was around one million for which 45mgd water was required. But at the moment, he added, only 6mgd was being provided. He also challenged officials of the water department who had claimed that 6.5mgd was being supplied through the 18-ingh dia SBL, 4.4mgd from COD through 24-inch dia line and 3mgd from the old C1’s 18-inch dia line.

According to their estimates, this total was 14mgd, he said, adding that a delegation led by MNA Nabeel Gabol had met the water board chief and informed him that his department’s figures were incorrect.