HYDERABAD, Oct 7: Hyderabad district council convenor Zafar Ali Rajput on Saturday formed a committee to probe into the failure of Wasa and HDA in draining out rainwater from Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas.

The committee would recommend action against responsible officers.

He stressed the need for a survey of rain-affected areas and announcement of Rs10 billion package as first instalment.

He said that other agencies were also responsible for drainage in the city but defects in working of the HDA and Wasa could not be ruled out altogether because there were officers, who believed that everything was fine and issued directives while sitting at home.

“The negligence of these bodies has brought a bad name to the district government”, he said.

He said that no emergency planning was seen on the part of the organisations and even today water was standing in residential areas.

“People suffered losses of billions of rupees in terms of property, furniture and crops”, he said.

He said that even people for well-off families suffered financial shocks.

He said that the inquiry committee comprised chairmen of council’s committees for work and services, justice and health.

On insistence of Mehboob Abro and Yamin Soomro, he said that each UC nazim of affected areas concerned should also be inducted in the committee.

HDA: The director-general of the Hyderabad Development Authority, Mr Tahir Ahmed, on Saturday informed the district council that 40 per cent of the city which was looked after by the HDA and Wasa did not have proper drainage system.

He said that consumers owed Rs1 billion water dues to Wasa which could not be recovered so far. He was briefing the district council in response to the issues raised by members in the last two days in the house regarding disaster in the city following heavy rains.

He said that both the organisations were basically responsible for drainage and sewerage of City, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas of the district.

Besides HDA and Wasa, he said, there were agencies like Site, Cantonment Board Hyderabad, Military Estates Services, Taluka Municipal Administration which have to maintain their own drainage infrastructure.

“Forty per cent of the city does not have sewerage and drainage system”, he disclosed while arguing that ever since inception of the country the areas like GTC ground, area behind Shahbaz Building, Jacob tank, locality behind Rajputana hospital, Site and SRC do not have any drainage system.