KARACHI: The judicial commission inquiring into the state’s failure in providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to citizens as well as environmental degradation in the province on Monday directed the local government secretary to file a statement indicating the strength of employees in all district municipal committees and the amount spent on managing solid waste in Karachi and other parts of the province.

The commission, headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro, put off the proceedings till Feb 2 and directed the local government secretary to place on record a copy of the budget book of the last five years with all details, including the expenses incurred on the salaries of the DMC employees.

Earlier, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board managing director filed a statement.

The director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority also filed a statement on the issue whether a no-objection certificate was taken from the KWSB before approving the building plan of high-rise/multistorey buildings to address the problems of supply of drinking water and sanitation.

The SBCA told the commission that it was not required to obtain any such approval from the KWSB under the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979 and the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations, 2002.

It said the SBCA was approving building plans in accordance with law.

Representatives of the Karachi, Korangi, Clifton and Faisal cantonment boards and the KWSB chief agreed to hold a meeting together to devise a strategy or to make a plan/proposal in accordance with law to ensure that before approval of any high-rise or multistorey building plan in any area of the cantonments in the city, an adequate framework/scheme for addressing the issue of drinkable water and sanitation was properly chalked out and executed.

Additional Advocate General Sarwar Khan sought a day’s time on behalf of the additional chief secretary to submit a report.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2017