‘Regularise Murree water scheme workers’

Laid by the British in 1890, the pipelines are still working

RAWALPINDI: The Murree Municipal Committee has requested the Punjab government to regularise 18 employees of a water scheme which was created over two centuries ago by the British-Indian Army.

Murree Municipal Committee (MMC) administrator wrote to the Punjab Local Government Secretary and Community Development (LGCD) on Monday, stating that the British Indian Army established a water supply scheme in Donga Gali in 1890-94 for troops deployed in Murree. It was later included in the city’s water supply system upon the request from the Murree Municipal Committee (MMC) in 1930 - the committee was a 50 per cent shareholder of the scheme.

The water scheme has been supplying water to civil and cantonment areas of Murree ever since. In a 1931 circular, the Joint Water Board (JWB) was constituted which was operated and maintained by the Punjab Health Engineering Department (PHED).

The letter added that the water supply project was initially established for feeding the mainline based on Donga Gali springs. Some 18 work-charge employees had filed a contempt of court petition in a labour court.

The administration suggested the LGCD regularise these 18 petitioners.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2020.