IMC decries grant of water connections to farmhouses

Council members fear water shortage to worsen in summers

ISLAMABAD: The elected representatives of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) on Monday spoke up harshly against the water shortage in the federal capital and claimed that around 60 per cent of water connections in the city have been distributed illegally.

They demanded that the Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz issue directions for cutting off all illegal water connections in the city, asserting that most water connections given to farmhouses were owned by influential people.

During a meeting of the IMC at the Pak-China Friendship Centre on Monday, the elected representatives of the city expressed reservations over the poor supply of water to the city during the winters and expressed the fear that the situation could worsen in the summers.

IMC members further criticised the 100 per cent increment in water and a 15 per cent increase in conservancy charges which the forum had approved itself.

The elected representatives contended that the increase in charges is justified if the corporation was providing an uninterrupted supply of amenities. IMC should increase charges for water and other such facilities when it can ensure the uninterrupted supply to the people.

The local government representatives further complained that people were questioning them about the inflated utility bills and that they were unable to provide them with satisfactory answers.

They questioned the mayor on whose directions the charges had been increased and why the assembly’s shoulders were being used for it.

During the meeting, members complained that at least 70 per cent of the street lights in the federal capital were out of order. They added that several roads and parks were also in poor condition.

Already under pressure, the mayor summoned IMC Revenue Director Mian Tariq Lateef and reprimanded him. Aziz then directed the revenue officer to rectify the utility bills. Lateef, however, shifted all the burden of errant bills on to the Information Technology (IT) department.

However, the meeting could not decide on correcting the inflated bills.

Waste management deal

Briefing the members on the solid waste management system, IMC Sanitation Director Sardar Khan Zimri said that they had to suspend its tender due to intervention of the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC). He added that citizens will face a lot of problems once the current contract expires.

He explained that the tenders had been issued on court directions but the newly-formed Local Government Commission had objected to it and thereafter cancelled it.

Mayor Aziz asserted that the government has created hindrances in their work. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is not executing any development work across the country, Aziz commented, adding that it is painful for the government to see development work in Islamabad.

He said that IMC was an autonomous institution and no ministry or commission can issue its directions.

Aziz told the meeting that multi-national companies involved in the solid waste management project have gotten confused and discouraged by the government’s behaviour, however, he assured that IMC was still in contact with them and the tender for the project will be issued soon.

CDA criticised

The members also expressed displeasure on the consecutive absence of the chief metropolitan officer (CMO) and asked the mayor why a permanent official was not being appointed.

At this, the mayor explained that the official is essentially a “tout” of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Aziz complained that CDA was not letting IMC do any work. The authority release funds to its people in our directorates overnight and gets the work done, he asserted. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2020.