FAISALABAD, Sept 2: The Punjab government is contemplating establishment of 'independent and open commissions' for augmenting financial resources of the Water and Sanitation Agency in the province.

This was claimed by Wasa Managing-Director Rasheed Ahmed Chaudhry while talking to newsmen here on Thursday. He said the agency throughout the province had been facing financial problems due to non-allocation of required funds, huge cost of maintenance and services and other non-developmental expenditures.

He claimed that the Punjab government had formulated a comprehensive plan to set up commissions for generating funds for the agency in order to upgrade and modernize water supply and sewerage facilities as per requirements of citizens.

He said a major development plan amounting to Rs1 billion had been approved under the directives of the president of Pakistan to provide facilities of potable water and drainage to citizens of different localities.

The main projects would be started in Nishatabad, Mananwala, Sir Syed Town and some other residential and industrial areas, he said. The managing-director said work on water supply project costing Rs2,515 million (Rs2.515 billion), including a huge grant from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency would start soon.

Mr Chaudhry said a mushroom growth of 'unapproved' housing colonies had become a permanent nuisance for Wasa officials as developers were throwing sewerage water directly in the drain without getting NOCs from the agencies concerned.

To a question, he said at present the agency was catering to the sewerage needs of hardly 50 per cent population which must be a matter of concern for the policy makers.

He said the Wasa had collected Rs340 million during 2003-2004 against the recovery of Rs320 million last year. For the current financial year, the agancy had set a target of Rs400 million and it would be achieved hopefully, he said. Replying to another question, Mr Chaudhry said samples of the supplied water were being collected by special teams for examination at various laboratories.