DERA GHAZI KHAN, July 10: Residents as well as tourists in Fort Munro, the only hill station in the south Punjab, are facing drinking water shortage. Located in the Suleman range, the hill station could not attract the tourists during the current summer season because of acute shortage of potable water.

Machines supplying water to Fort Munro have been out of order since long for lack of funds.

The Punjab government had given a grant of Rs10 million for rehabilitation of the water supply scheme which was established in 1996. Former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari had also taken keen interest in the scheme and provided Rs100 million for the purpose.

The TMA tribal area could not pay power bills of the water supply schemes because of financial crunch. It had to pay around Rs8.5 million to the Wapda while out of order machines’ pumps could also not be provided by the repairing company despite clearance of its bills.

Tribal area tehsil administrator Malik Ramzan Awan told Dawn that a private company had to hand over the repaired machine on June 30 last, but it could not do so.

He said that he had sent several notices to the private company, KSB, to provide machines in time.

Mr Awan said that two water hoses and tanks on a tractor-trolley had been arranged to provide water to hill station residents.

He said that pipelines of the water supply scheme from Khar to Fort Munro were damaged by the Punjab highway department during widening of the road.

He demanded that the highway department should either repair the pipeline or pay compensation money.

About the selling of water tanks to visitors by TMA employees, he said that he would look into the matter.