Water and sanitation workers reshuffled

Chairman says crackdown against corrupt elements in authority, bill defaulters underway

RAWALPINDI: Water and Sanitation Authority (Wasa) has transferred all 51 bill distributors deployed at a single station for the past 10 to 15 years.

Wasa Chairman Arif Abbasi has issued the transfer orders as part of a massive reshuffling in the lower cadre to curb corruption and improve efficiency.

Abbasi told Daily Express that the top brass of the authority was adamant to completely uproot corruption from Wasa. A crackdown is being planned against the corruption mafia that has taken control of the most important civic body responsible for providing water and sanitation to the people of Rawalpindi.

He said Wasa will take action against the corrupt elements in its fold without any fear or favour, “and the institution will not tolerate any political or administrative pressure in this regard.”

There are plans to uplift Wasa to a competent and efficient civic service provider body.

In the first phase, Chairman Abbasi said he had ordered transfer of all sanitary inspectors.

Secondly, he ordered transfers of bill distributors and in the third phase, 400 tube-well operators and valve men will be transferred.

The human resource department of Wasa has prepared the lists for the transfers.

Crackdown planned

Wasa Chairman Abbasi said he has directed top officials of the authority to devise a comprehensive plan for recovery of dues from bill defaulters.

In this regard, Wasa authorities have decided to launch crackdown against defaulters and people engaged in water theft. Senior management of the authority has started formation of teams for the crackdown. These recovery teams would impose heavy fines and penalties on bill defaulters and water thieves.

To give legal backing to action against defaulters, provincial government has restored Wasa magistrate.

The defaulters will have to pay all remaining dues while their connections will also be cut off.

Abbasi said that the issue of water leakages would also be addressed while efforts will be taken to obtain higher volumes of water from Rawal and Khanpur dams. He told that WASA had enough water reservoirs as per the needs and that no one was facing water crisis in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2018.