HYDERABAD: A Rs13.42bn budget of the Hyderabad Water & Sewerage Corporation (HWSC) for the year 2025-26 was approved by its Board of Directors (BoD) on Tuesday.

The board, however, deferred the item of increasing the monthly salary of the corporation’s chief executive officer (CEO) from Rs600,000 to Rs1.5m. The Hyderabad mayor is the chairperson of the board by virtue of his office.

The board gave post-facto approval for the budget, involving an outlay of Rs13.42bn, according to information obtained by Dawn from board members and corporation officials.

The budget document shows Rs8.92bn liabilities against federal ministries and provincial departments.

Matter of increasing salary of cash-strapped utility’s CEO from Rs600,000 to Rs1.5m deferred

A recovery of Rs3.42bn from consumers is also mentioned in the budget. Other receipts included Rs350m from the provincial government and Rs10m from Gulistan-i-Sarmast Housing Scheme.

Salary component involves an expenditure of Rs1.86bn.

The board termed information pertaining to outsourcing of dues recovery from consumers ‘insufficient’. It wanted to know more in detail about these recoveries with clear recommendations.

The board approved names of two individuals as consultants for the Water & Sewerage Tribunal. Five names were proposed before the meeting.

The board took up an item for ‘provision of official vehicles to senior management of corporation’. The board was informed that papers of 38 vehicles from HDA were not yet received. One officer is Imtiaz Ali Zardari, having two vehicles. HR head of corporation Naeem Shoro informed that CEO Tufail Abro has more than one vehicle. CEO clarified he was using one rented vehicle which he has returned and now he is using it.

The board also took up an item for raising the salary of CEO from Rs0.6m to Rs1.5m. A member of the board objected to it on the ground that justification should be provided in this regard and CEO’s performance indicators should also be shared ever since his appointment in the corporation.

HWSC sources said that the board was to take up an item for a raise in salary of HR head Naeem Shoro and CEO but the agenda carries only one item pertaining to CEO’s pay raise. The board members also mentioned that the CEO included an item of his pay raise in the agenda for the second time. CEO had informed that Karachi and Sukkur’s corporations were receiving equal amounts of salary.

The CEO was until recently using a rented fortuner for R400,000 per month rent in addition to entitlement of his official vehicle. He had said he would return the vehicle to the service provider. The CEO was appointed on a fixed salary of Rs0.6m by HWSC’s board on April 7,2025 when HWSC was notified in Sept 2023 after enactment of the law. CEO’s appointment notification was signed by Syed Shujaat Hussain as MD / CEO / Secretary BoD HWSC. CEO Abro is a BS-18 officer of Planning & Development Board (P&DB) and he took a lien to join as CEO of HWSC .

However, his notification for appointment by the Sindh government was not yet made available. When this correspondent confronted the CEO and HR head with this anomaly a few days back, they both claimed the board had sent recommendation to government for notification but it was told the corporation should notify it on its own. When they were requested to share the corporation’s commendation and the Sindh government reply to it, they didn’t share documents despite repeated reminders.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026