Contractor given seven days to make filtration plant functional in Hyderabad

Water commission warns Chinese contractor, responsible for garbage collection, to fix its act

KARACHI: A water filtration plant built at a cost of Rs587.437 million for Hyderabad SITE area in fiscal year 2014-15 has remained abandoned all these years despite the project's physical completion. The matter was taken up by the Supreme Court-mandated water commission during the hearing in Karachi on Friday.

After hearing explanations of the officials of Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) Limited, the commission's chairperson Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim gave the contractor seven days to make the plant operational, "... failing which the matter will be referred to the appropriate forum for inquiry," Justice (R) Muslim warned.

The idle project was discovered by the chairperson of the commission's task force, Jamal Mustafa Syed, who is also provincial secretary of irrigation and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). Subsequently, the commission issued notices to the SITE officials to come up with an explanation.



During the hearing, SITE Chief Engineer Shamsuddin Sehto said that the plant, whose capacity is five million gallons per day (MGD), has been kept non-functional because of an old pipeline connecting it with the SITE area. He maintained that the pipeline cannot sustain pressure of the heavy pumps installed at the plant. "... hence the possession of the plant has not been taken over from the contractor," he said.

The plant was approved in 2008. Former Sindh minister for industries and commerce, Rauf Siddiqui, whose party Muttahida Qaumi Movement was a coalition partner in Sindh government, laid the foundation stone of the project on February 21, 2009.

According to Sehto, the project was approved in the fiscal year 2008-09 at a cost of Rs269.826m. The tenders were invited and M/S Abdul Sattar and Company quoted the lowest rate at Rs464.745m. Later, the contractor claimed to have incurred Rs126.37m additional expenditures and the sum was released in the financial year, 2014-15.

The chief engineer informed that the work of laying a new pipeline was awarded to another contractor from the funds of SITE limited. However, he added, the project could not be completed for want of funds even though a large part of the new pipeline had been laid.

"No justifiable reason has been advanced in his explanation as to why this fact [about abandoned plant] was not brought to the notice of the commission earlier," Justice (R) Muslim observed. He summoned the SITE officials over the matter on December 28.

Karachi's water crisis

Taking notice of the water crisis in Karachi, the commission directed all the deputy commissioners and chairpersons of the district municipal corporations, Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) managing director and Karachi commissioner to hold a joint meeting on December 23 with provincial secretary Asif Hyder Shah to work out a plan for distribution of water in the city.

Local government secretary, KWSB MD Khalid Sheikh and Central District Municipal Corporation (DMC) Chairperson Rehan Hashmi and other officials appeared before the commission. KWSB MD briefed the commission about the water shortage while Hashmi said that people have set up residential colonies on water lines in District Central. Many residential water lines are being used commercially.

Water board MD confessed that many water lines have illegal connections but they hadn't taken any action against those who were doing this. Justice (R) Muslim remarked that all the entities should work together to ensure water supply in the city.

Meters for water lines

The issue regarding non-installation of meters for water monitoring in Karachi was also raised before the commission. KWSB presented a progress report in this regard. Justice (R) Muslim remarked, "We had issued the show-cause notice for the non-installation of meters and you are presenting the progress report". Commission asked a KWSB official about the progress and if the meters had been installed. The officer replied that meters had not been installed. Justice (R) Muslim said that when no progress had been made, "what report are you presenting? Keep your report with you and submit the reply on meters installation".



Garbage collection

Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) chief executive officer and MD also appeared before the commission. They informed the commission that 1,000 employees were to be provided to Chinese company by West DMC. After a whole year, West DMC only provided 453 employees. The Commission also expressed anger over the payment of salaries to absent employees and ordered the provision of required number of employees within 15 days. The chief of SSWMB said that the Chinese company has bought only 86 vehicles yet, which still need to be renovated.

Meanwhile, the commission warned Hangzhou Jinjiang Sanitation Company that its work will be outsourced on its expenses to other contractors if it failed to arrange the required number of vehicles and staff within 15 days.

Justice (R) Muslim remarked that there were lots of complaints against the contractor. "If it goes on like this, we can terminate the contract also," Justice (R) Muslim remarked. The Chinese company's director pleaded the commission to grant a one-month extension, to which Justice (R) Muslim remarked, "You haven't done anything in years so what will you do now". The commission warned the contractor to act in accordance with the contract otherwise they would be sent home. Commission adjourned the hearing till December 17.

Additional reporting by Nasir Butt 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2018.