KARACHI, June 17: The KWSB has decided to sever water and sewerage connections of federal government departments and offices, and the Ministry of Defence in the city, who owe it a huge amount of Rs1,173 million. They have not cleared their dues despite the Prime Minister’s clear directives in this regard, well-placed sources in the KWSB told Dawn on Friday.

A drive to disconnect water and sewerage facilities to the said departments and offices would start from Saturday (today).

Sources said these major defaulters included all cantonment boards – Faisal, Malir, Korangi Creek, Karachi, Clifton and Manora – and some other departments of the Ministry of Defence; the Karachi Port Trust (KPT); the Central Board of Revenue (CBR); federal government’s works and services, finance, communications, and science and technology departments.

Giving a break-up of the outstanding dues against these departments and agencies, they said all five cantonment boards of the city owed the KWSB Rs508 million; defence ministry departments, Rs339 million; the KPT, Rs180 million; federal government’s works and services department, Rs56 million; federal science and technology department offices, Rs10 million; federal finance ministry offices, Rs2 million; federal communication department offices, Rs1 million; the CBR, Rs4 million; and the KESC, Rs73 million.

Sources said that it was quite disappointing to note that the said federal government offices and departments including the defence ministry had not bothered to clear their outstanding dues.

Although, he said, the Prime Minister had issued separate letters to all the departments through the federal finance division to pay their dues to the KWSB.

“We are left with no choice but to disconnect water connections of all these organisations and departments,” the sources said.

The KWSB is itself under pressure from the KESC to clear its electricity dues, which has soared to Rs1,200 million, they said.