Outstanding dues: KWSB takes Sindh govt to court

Sindh High Court had directed the government in April to release Rs222.7 million to the KWSB.

KARACHI:

Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has taken the provincial government to court over outstanding dues it owes the water utility for its services during the 2010 flood.

KWSB’s lawyer Syeda Sara Kanwal said that on the provincial government’s request, the utility had hired contractors to supply water to relief camps set up in different districts in the aftermath of the floods.

The board then sent the bills to the government so that it could pay the contractors. But when the provincial government failed to do this, the fuming contractors took the matter to court. On April 11 this year, while disposing of the contractors’ petitions, the Sindh High Court directed the government to release Rs222.7 million to the KWSB. But this has yet to be done.

The lawyer asked the court to press for the implementation of its earlier order.

Justice Maqbool Baqir, who headed the bench, issued notices to the Sindh chief secretary, finance secretary and advocate general for December 20 to file their replies.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2012.