HYDERABAD, June 18: District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman has said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf during his visit to the city at the time of referendum had approved the installation of two water filter plants but the funds for it had not been received so far.

He was speaking to traders and industrialists at the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry's secretariat here on Thursday. He said that the district government would be provide Rs241 million by July 15 to improve the water supply system.

He stressed the need for implementing the district government system in letter and in spirit and said that the devolution of Hyderabad Development Authority had become extremely necessary to improve its performance.

He said that tens of millions of rupees of development funds had gone down the drain due to the inefficiency of HDA officials. Mr Makhdoom said that estimates and priorities of development schemes had to be changed frequently as the funds were not released on time.

He said that the Hyderabad airport had been included in the development programme and added that the introduction of air cargo service had become very necessary. The nazim disclosed that in furtherance of this objective, he had already talked to the PIA authorities who had agreed in principle to start the air cargo service.

He said that the district government had also requested the GOC to attach some officers with the engineering works department to ensure the implementation of all development schemes in a transparent manner.

He said that the poisonous water of the Manchhar lake was released in the Indus river at a time when the quantity of water upstream was much less as a result of which the water was contaminated.

He feared that bacteria was still present in the WASA water tanks and added that this had made it all the more necessary to cleanse the water tanks. He said that the district government had received Rs120 million to construct more water tanks.

He said that in future drinking water would be supplied to the residents of Latifabad taluka from the Akram wah and added that Rs50 million would bespent on this project.