KARACHI, Nov 22: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s campaign against the defaulting bulk water consumers has fizzled out reportedly due to the pressure of industrialists and other influential people.

The drive that began on Oct 6 with the disconnection of water connections of major bulk consumers including various federal government organisations came to an abrupt halt in less than a week.

During the campaign, the KWSB had severed connections of its various bulk consumers on account of non-payment of water charges and these included Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan Railways, National Stadium, Clifton Cantonment Board, Defence Housing Authority, Malir Cantonment Board, Korangi Cantonment Board, Dockyard, Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works, different naval and PAF installations and a number of industries, hotels, flour and textile mills, etc.

However, the KWSB first restored the connections of all those federal government organisations which in the light of a decision taken in a meeting held with the Sindh chief secretary in the chair, paid 10 per cent of their total outstanding water charges. Later, the water board stopped its campaign even against industrial units and other private bulk consumers when, according to sources, some office-bearers of an industrial zone approached the authorities with a request to immediately stop disconnecting water connections of industries for a couple of months, or else the industries would not be able to meet the deadlines of their foreign consignments.

Confirming that the KWSB while acceding to the industrialists’ request has not only suspended the drive in question but also against various other bulk consumers, an official of the utility said that the campaign which hardly continued for six days, the KWSB had recovered over Rs230 million as against Rs10 billion outstanding against numerous bulk consumers.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the KWSB said that a meeting held on Nov 8 in Islamabad with Dr Salman Shah, the then advisor to the former prime minister Shaukat Aziz on finance and who has now become minister for finance, economic affairs and revenue in the caretaker cabinet, had directed all the federal government organisations and federal ministries’ department to clear 25 per cent of the total water charges outstanding against them.

Conceding that the campaign against the defaulters have been suspended, he said that the KWSB had only a couple of days back had placed an advertisement in newspapers, asking the consumers to clear their dues to avoid disconnection of their water connections.