HYDERABAD, March 9: Sindh Minister for Local Bodies, Kutchi Abadi and Special Development Mohammad Hussain has directed the Hyderabad Development Authority to prepare a three-phase masterplan for the upgradation of the city’s sewerage and drainage system within the next 15 days.
He said this while speaking at a press conference held here on Saturday night.
Mr Hussain said that the sewerage and drainage system had collapsed in the three talukas of Hyderabad.
No new roads, he said, had been constructed because after being destroyed by the overflowing sewerage lines.
Prominent among those, who were present on the occasion, were MPAs Dr Arshad Shah and Aslam Pervez and Nazim of the Latifabad Taluka Abdul Jabbar Khan.
He said that the sewerage system had not been upgraded despite the rapid population growth of the city.
Dismissing reports regarding the present government’s or the Muttahida Qaumi Movement opposing the local bodies system under the devolution plan, he said that they system needed necessary amendments to make it workable at the grassroots level.
During his three-day-long visit, he said, of various talukas of Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts, a large number of union council members had claimed that they had no powers in the present system.
The most common complaint, Mr Hussain said, was the lack of control of the union council members over the sanitary staff.
The minister assured that he would get Rs250 million, out of the Rs500 million sanctioned for the development of the city, released as soon as possible.
About the long-standing issue of regularising the Kutchi Abadis, the minister said that authorities had been authorized to act against those builders who had left the projects of Kutchi Abadis incomplete.
He asserted that the Directorate of Kutchi Abadi had been asked to prepare a plan for the regularization of areas falling under its jurisdiction, adding that the civic problems of such Kutchi Abadis should be solved on a priority basis, which were paying development charges.
In the meantime, Mr Hussain directed the WASA authorities to recover dues worth Rs610.71 million from 17 federal and provincial government departments, and authorised them to disconnect their water connections if they fail to make payments in this regard.
According to the break-up of the outstanding amount, Rs432.459 million is outstanding against nine provincial government departments while Rs178.251 million were pending in arrears against eight federal government departments.
These departments included health, education, C&W, home department, transport, local government & public health, culture & tourism and 391 connections of other departments, Hyderabad Cantonment Board, Sindh Regimental Centre, MES (Military Estate Services), Qasim Rangers and office of the assistant engineer of the Pakistan Railways.
These statistics were released by the Sindh Minister himself at the press conference.
The Minister said that these subscribers would be issued a notice, offering them a relief package and if they failed to pay arrears water supply to these departments should immediately be disconnected.
The Sindh Minister contended that when federal government departments like the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company, was not showing any leniency to the WASA, treating it as a commercial organization instead of civic welfare body.
The minister said that WASA had recovered 25 per cent recovery from its subscribers.