Illegal hydrants: Owais Muzaffar takes on tanker mafia

Suspends six Water Board officials; police impounds over two dozen tankers.

KARACHI:

Sindh Minister for Local Government Owais Muzaffar, during his visit to various areas of the city on Saturday, ordered demolition of over a dozen illegal hydrants at Korangi Road.

Police took more than two dozen water supply tankers into custody and arrested several people from the site.

The minister suspended a superintending engineer and five other officials of the KWSB for allowing illegal hydrants and cutting public water supply.

Owais Muzaffar directed the police authorities to conduct a neutral inquiry against the contractors of the illegal hydrants and their patrons in the Water Board.

“It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that people get clean drinking water at their homes, therefore action has been initiated against the illegal hydrants,” the minister told the media.

He said the illegal hydrants will be demolished and people running these will be arrested.

Even the high officials of the Water Board will be taken to task if found involved in water racket, he said.

He said the drive against illegal sale of water would continue and no one would be allowed to restart the demolished hydrants.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2013.