Court restrains KWSB from closing hydrant

The water hydrant, located in Korangi, was given to the contractor in a public auction.

KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued orders forbidding the Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWSB) from closing a water hydrant located in Korangi, which was given to a contractor in a public auction.

On Friday, the SHC bench of justices Musheer Alam and Syed Zakir Hussain suspended the operation of an impugned letter issued by the KWSB, ordering the closure of the hydrant. The petition was filed by Sajjad Ali Kalwar, proprietor of Al Mehran and Company, who maintains that the water board awarded him the contract for operating the hydrant in Korangi II after he was declared the successful bidder in an open auction.

He stated that the rate of Rs135 per 1,000-gallon tanker was fixed, and he regularly deposited the bills as agreed to. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that on January 10, 2011, the KWSB, through a letter, asked the petitioner to follow the operation timing and number of taps as specified in the tender. The petitioner complied. He stated that although there were no grounds for the KWSB to order the hydrant’s closure, it issued the impugned letter on January 27.

The counsel maintained that the closure was ordered on the pretext of a water shortage. He added that different civic agencies have pointed out the problem of a shortage and that a number of illegal hydrants are operating in Chakra Goth, Korangi. However, instead of taking action against the people who operate illegal hydrants, the water board ordered Kalwar to close his hydrant, which was in violation of articles 4, 10, 23 and 24, the petitioner’s counsel concluded.

The bench, after hearing the counsel, ordered the issuance of notices to the respondent for a date to be fixed later by the office of the court. In the meanwhile, the operation of the impugned letter issued by KWSB will remain suspended.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2011.