KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has approved a special grant of Rs200 million to repair the old machinery of the Dhabeji water pumping station and arrange new and standby machinery for the Pipri water pumping station, as the Sindh government is striving to improve the supply to meet water needs of Karachiites during the summer.

Also, work on two water projects with the capacity of 100 and 65 million gallons a day will be launched this month. These projects will be in addition to the K-IV project whose contract has been awarded to the Frontier Works Organisation to ensure additional supply of 260MGD (million gallon per day) water to the metropolis after two years.

This assurance was given to the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday by Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro while responding to a privilege motion tabled by Khurram Sher Zaman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

In his motion, the PTI lawmaker recalled that the assembly had passed a resolution seeking early implementation of the two water supply schemes of 165MGD, but unfortunately nothing had been done by the department concerned and requested the house to send this matter to the privilege committee for consideration.

Briefing the lawmakers on the measures being taken by the government, the minister said tenders had been invited for the implementation of the two water projects, which would be opened on April 21 and 29 before the formal start of the work on the two projects.

He also explained that the contract of Karachi bulk water supply project (K-IV) was given to the FWO which would complete it within the next two years. On completion, he added, this project would supply 260MGD water daily to the city.

The local government minister said the chief minister approved the special grant Rs200 million for repairing the machineries installed many years back at the Dhabeji pumping station and arrange new and standby machinery at the Pipri pumping station.

Mr Shoro said he himself on Tuesday visited the Dhabeji and Pipri pumping stations and took briefing in detail about the condition of the machinery and other equipment.

He expressed the hope that water supply would improve during the summer after the necessary repairs and change of equipment at the pumping stations. He said there was almost 50 per cent difference in the water requirement and its supply to the city, which could be overcome to an extent after the completion of 165MGD and K-4 projects. Earlier, when the house reassembled here on Wednesday at 11.10am after an 11-day break, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani administered the oath to Ismail Rahu of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Ziaul Hasan Lanjar of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who won the Badin PS-59 and Naushahro Feroze PS-23 seats in the by-polls respectively. They were elected after unseating of Mohammad Nawaz Chandio of the PPP and Masroor Khan Jatoi of the National Peoples Party. After reaffirmation of oath by the members, their respective supporters sitting in the public gallery raised slogans of Jiye Bhutto and Jiye Nawaz Sharif. A couple of members across the house greeted the newly elected members and hoped that they would play their role in mitigating the problems of people and strengthening the democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, the speaker informed the house that the governor gave assent to the Sindh Sales Tax on Services (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

The replies received about the action taken by the departments concerned on the resolutions adopted by the house during 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 were also laid on behalf of the minister for parliamentary affairs by Minister for Environment and Coastal Development Dr Sikandar Mandhro.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Mohammad Hussain Khan who wanted to speak on the replies of the departments as were laid in the house pointing out that on his privilege motions the speaker had instructed the assembly secretariat to lay the replies in the house but the chair did not allow him saying that the reports were not for discussion as the rules only allowed to lay the replies in the house.

A similar situation was witnessed when Dr Mandhro, in the absence of the chairman of the committee on the rules, procedure and the privileges Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, presented a report for adoption on the privilege motion of Shahid Abdul Salam Thaheem. MPA Thaheem through the privilege motion mentioned that Dr Abdul Majeed Chhutto, project director, establishment of medical colleges/ vice chairman, Shahdadpur Institute of Medical Sciences, misbehaved with him when the lawmaker had inquired an issue related to the Shahdadpur Institute of Medical Sciences.

In its report the committee on rules, procedure and privileges held with consensus Dr Chhutto guilty of the breach of privilege of MPA Thaheem and announced one week’s symbolic imprisonment with fine of Rs5,000. The committee also recommended to the chief secretary that the mentioned officer was not fit for government service or hold any public office due to his arrogant attitude towards public representatives, and therefore no further posting be allowed to him.

Criticising the report, MQM lawmaker Syed Sardar Ahmad said what privilege had been breached when everyone always opposed the VIP culture and this matter related to the privilege of a VIP.

Opposing the report, PML-F legislator Nand Kumar said Dr Abdul Majeed was being victimised for personal reason.

Dr Mandhro opposed expression of views on the report citing that if the discussion was allowed, it would amount to have no confidence in the privilege committee. Speaker Durrani informed the house that as the report was presented for adoption, discussion would not be appropriate and adjourned the session till Friday at 10am. By Our Staff Reporter

KARACHI: The provincial assembly secretariat has received resignations from its two legislators, Dr Saghir Ahmad and Mohammad Iftikhar Alam, who were elected to the house on MQM tickets in the 2013 general elections.

In the resignations addressed to the speaker and sent through a courier service, the legislators stated that as they had been elected on MQM tickets, the party from which they resigned due to reasons some of which were mentioned during their press conferences held on March 7 and 10 respectively, therefore their resignations from the assembly be kindly accepted.

Although it was not mentioned during the house proceedings, responding to a query secretary of the assembly G.M. Umar Farooq said the resignations had been received, adding that they would be put up before the speaker for further action after completing legal requirements.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016