GUJRAT: The deputy commissioner has recommended a probe into collapse of some of the recently-laid pipelines of the Ratti disposal station allegedly because of poor execution of the Rs22 million project meant for its rehabilitation launched in April the last.

The project was launched with the funds provided by the Gujrat Municipal Corporation (MC) on the recommendation of PML-Q MNA Chaudhary Moonis Elahi as the disposal station had been lying dysfunctional.

The residential areas located on the city outskirts had been the worst hit because of the disposal station going dysfunctional. As a result, the areas near the disposal station remained submerged by the sewage.

However, execution of the rehabilitation project was again assigned to the public health engineering department (PHED) -- the same executing agency that had laid the pipelines some 13 years ago.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurram Shahzad and Gujrat MC administrator Rani Hafsa Kanwal after being informed about the collapse of some pipes of the rehabilitated disposal station, visited the site and found that the pipelines were laid without any stone base under them, resulting in the problem.

According to official sources, the DC has now decided to remove the two PHED engineers -- Executive Engineer Abdul Waheed and Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Usman -- who had been supervising the project’s rehabilitation work.

In a letter written to the provincial housing and physical planning department secretary, the DC has recommended immediate removal of the two engineers, formation of an inquiry committee, initiation of legal proceedings against the engineers under Peeda Act and blacklisting of the contractor firm that had executed the rehabilitation project.

The DC also recommended special scrutiny of some other development projects executed by the PHED during the last five years.

Official sources said the Gujranwala region PHED superintending engineer would also pay a visit to the site.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2019