Fresh probe into road, sewer project ordered

Body to fix responsibility as WASA-highway dept dispute drags on

JARANWALA:

The district administration has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the insufficient and delayed inquiry report submitted by a two-member probe committee regarding the road construction-sewer line project dispute between the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Highway department.

Commissioner Silwat Saeed returned the report with strong objections and directed the committee to identify responsible officials to ensure they are held accountable.

Sources indicate that the matter began six months ago when former MPA Tahir Jameel intervened, prompting Commissioner Saeed to visit the project site.

On June 20, 2024, she formed an inquiry committee comprising the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department and the Superintending Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department to investigate and assign responsibility for the stalled project.

The 9.42-kilometre road connecting Samundri Road (Niamuana Mandi) to Fish Farm Satiana Road via Malkhanwala, Faisalabad, was initiated by the Highway Department during the 2020-21 financial year.

Simultaneously, WASA launched a sewer line project in 2021 under the "Development of Model Localities of Minorities (Phase-II)," funded by then-Punjab Minister of Human Rights Ijaz Alam Augustin, with an allocation of Rs300 million.

Issues arose when the Highway Department objected to WASA's sewer line work due to the absence of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for road cuts. Despite these objections, WASA completed its portion of the work on time, while the Highway Department managed to finish only 7 km of the road, leaving 2 km incomplete.

The department estimated Rs52.06 million for road repairs necessitated by WASA's work, but this figure was later revised to Rs21.32 million, which was paid by the District Commissioner (DC) Faisalabad.

However, the project faced further delays when the allocated funds lapsed in June 2021.

The Highway department then requested an additional Rs70 million to cover price variations, which the Punjab Planning and Development (P&D) Department refused. The DC resubmitted the case to P&D Punjab, only for it to be returned with instructions to coordinate with WASA for funding.

Sources within the commissioner's office noted that the inquiry committee, formed three months prior, demonstrated leniency towards fellow engineers, allowing them extended time to resolve matters informally and failing to pinpoint responsibility as mandated by the initial terms of reference.

Commissioner Saeed has now ordered the committee to compile a detailed incumbency list of officials from both departments who were involved and to draft a clear action plan for addressing the delays and failures in the project's completion.