Nepotism: Dhabeji pump contract lands in court

SHC issues notices to local government, KWSB officials

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Wednesday notices to the government and water board officials to give their comments on the contract for a new pumping station at Dhabeji.

The division bench, headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar, asked the chief secretary, the local government secretary, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) chairperson and managing director and the provincial public procurement regulatory authority's chairperson to file comments by February 16.

A non-profile organisation, Search Foundation, had challenged the process adopted by the KWSB authorities to award the contract to establish a new station at Dhabeji that will pump an additional 100 million gallons of water per day (MGD).

The petitioner told the judges that the KWSB had invited bids to award tenders for the construction of 100MGD pump house on June 7, 2013. Later, the officials changed the date fixed for technical evaluation of the bids and announcement of the tender, it added.

The petitioner's lawyer, Irfan Aziz, alleged that a letter was issued on November 28, 2013, informing the bidding parties that the contract was awarded to M/s Pak Oasis, which is allegedly a favourite of the KWSB officials.

He said the project is to be financed by the Sindh government under the Association Development of Pakistan (ADP) schemes with an obligation to ensure transparency in the utilisation of the money paid by the taxpaying residents of the province.

He stated that the KWSB chairperson and managing director, who are directly responsible for ensuring transparency, have conferred the contract in violations of the provisions of the Sindh Public Procurement Rules, 2010. He mentioned that one of the bidders, M/s KSB JV, objected to the process of the technical evaluation of the bids and tenders award but the KWSB authorities did not respond to his complaint.

He pleaded the court declare the contract a violation of the public procurement rules and order the authorities to re-invite the tenders and then give them in a transparent manner. After issuing the notices, the bench asked Advocate Irfan Aziz to satisfy the court about the aims and objectives of the petitioner's organisation.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2015.