SIALKOT, April 10 The public has to bear the brunt of administrative ills the striking example of which is inordinate delay in repairs of the water filtration plants which had gone out of order soon after their installation in Sialkot and Daska two years ago.

The Sialkot district government and the tehsil municipal administrations have failed to sort it out whose job is to look after the plants most of which have been lying out of order for more than a year now.

DCO Atta Muhammad Khan had during open courts and meetings with public representatives assured the people of immediate remedy, but there was no good news on the front.

District government officials say the TMAs of Daska and Sialkot are responsible for maintenance of these water filtration plants whereas the TMA officials believe the district administration to be responsible for the project, deflecting blame on each other for delaying the repair work.

Unavailability of potable water has agonised the people as weather gets harsher by the day. The affected people allege that the district government and TMAs have turned a blind eye to the matter of urgent importance.

Repeated public appeals for early repairs of the filtration plants have failed to borne fruit, they say.

Two years back, the district government and TMAs had installed water filtration plants in Sialkot and Daska by spending millions of rupees for providing potable water to the people. Most of these plants have been lying out of order for over one year.

Citizens Rights Forum chairman Dr Muhammad Muneer Butt said no one had bothered to put in the water filtration plants as a result of which people were forced to drink unhygienic water.

He said the health department had already declared the water of Sialkot and Daska injurious to health.

He urged the provincial government to ensure early rectification of these plants to facilitate the people.

DCO Atta Muhammad Khan told Dawn the latest inquiry conducted by Daska DDO (Revenue) Fayyaz Ahmad Mohal revealed that the water filtration plants were installed by the (previous) PML-Q government on `political grounds` and the district government did not allocate even a penny.

Later, the plants were given under the control of the TMAs which are now primarily responsible for their maintenance.

He said the inquiry report had already been sent to Commissioner (Gujranwala Division) Khalid Masood Chaudhry and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for further action in this regard.—Abid Mehdi