RAWALPINDI: The cash-strapped Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) is due to get a Rs200 million bailout package from Punjab government to help overcome the financial crisis the agency finds itself in.
"We have requested the Punjab government for a special bailout package of Rs200 million and the Punjab chief secretary has forwarded a summary in this regard to the Punjab chief minister," said Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Arif Abbasi. He hoped that the package will be approved during the next meeting of the Punjab cabinet.
Talking to the media on Sunday, he said that a number of steps have been taken to make the department self-sufficient.
Wasa, he said, had averted at least on crisis after it managed to pay the first instalment of pending dues worth Rs35 million to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) on December 26.
He further said that the department was a defaulter of IESCO and on a special request, the power utility granted the agency 10 days to clear pending dues.
The RDA chairman further said that a zero-tolerance policy against corruption had been adopted in the agency to help stop the loss of funds and to shore up the revenue generation of the agency.
The authorities concerned have been directed to take solid steps to curb corruption and improve the efficiency of the department, Abbasi said.
To further improve the performance of the agency, he said that they had undertaken massive reshuffling in the agency, particularly in its lower cadres.
The RDA chairman further stated that they were planning to launch a crackdown against the corruption mafia which had entrenched itself in the civic body responsible for providing water and sanitation to the residents of the garrison city.
He said the authority would take strict action against corrupt elements in Wasa and no compromise would be made on corruption.
To a question, he said that efforts were being made to uplift Wasa and to turn it into a competent and efficient civic service body.
In this regard, he said that they had transferred all 14 inspectors of the revenue branch. The objective for the transfer of these employees was to improve the working of the agency and to provide better services to the consumers. Such a move, he hoped, would also result in checking the corruption in Wasa.
Abbasi added that all sanitary inspectors were also transferred while he had also ordered the transfers of bill distributors.
In the third phase, he said that over 400 tube-well operators and valve men were being transferred.
To another question, the chairman said the authorities had been directed to devise a comprehensive plan for recovery of outstanding dues from the defaulters.
He said a survey had also been devised to check the total number of legal and illegal water connections. In this regard, Wasa has decided to launch a crackdown against the defaulters and illegal water connections, he said adding, the management had started the formation of teams for the crackdown.
The recovery teams have started imposing fines and penalties on the defaulters and illegal connections. He said Wasa would generate revenue through its own resources by taking rapid, practical and effective measures to overcome financial crunch.
Solid steps had been taken to bring our own department into order by ending incompetency and inefficiency which he said had resulted in financial crisis inside the department.
To a question, he also cleared that there was no plan or proposal to raise water charges. Similarly, he clarified that from now no political interference or its influence would be accepted and tolerated.
Policies of generating income on our own resources would be reformed and be made effective in the coming days, the chairman added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2018.
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