Unanimous decision: IMC approves by-laws in fifth session

Mayor forms five-member committee to resolve capital’s water supply issue

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) on Monday unanimously approved by-laws and regulations for the city in its fifth session at Pak-China Friendship Centre.

The bill was tabled before the house by Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) Deputy Mayor Chuadry Riffat.

Interestingly, members of the opposition from the Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) fully backed the bill as well as it sailed through the house.

IMC Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz, who was presiding over the session, assured elected representatives that the prestige and privilege of house members would be given preference and those officials of the IMC and Capital Authority (CDA) who were not willing to work would be dealt with sternly.

On this occasion the Leader of the Opposition Leader PTI’s Ali Nawaz Awan suggested that a business advisory committee (BAC) should be constituted which would finalise the agenda before every session of the assembly.

Water shortages

Deputy Mayor Syed Zeshan Ali Naqvi said rural areas of Islamabad Capital territory (ICT) were suffering from acute shortages and the issue had now turned into a crisis.

He said that water supply from Simly Dam for rural areas was insufficient to meet the water needs of these areas. The deputy mayor suggested permission must be given to install new tube wells to resolve the shortage.

Naqvi also highlighted sanitation issues and said heaps of garbage are piling up in the rural areas. He said CDA had lands in the rural areas but the rural population have not benefited from it. He urged the mayor to play his due role in this regard to solve issues of the public.

Earlier, IMC’s Chief Metropolitan Officer (CMO) Asad Zahoor Kiyani told the house that  offices of 26 Union Councils’ had been established while chairmen of the remaining UCs had been asked to set up their offices in private buildings.

Providing an overview of the current situation of water supply in the capital, he said they had repaired water tankers which helped reduce the number of complaints.

At this Awan remarked that the fall in the number of complaints was due to the cooler weather in the federal capital and not necessarily owing to CDA’s water tankers. He said that 70 per cent of the rural population draws their water from wells while the civic body only has 10 water tankers left at its disposal, down from a fleet strength of 35. Aziz formed a five-member committee which would include two IMC members from city and three from rural areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2016.