Water woes: MQM leaders oppose Rs160m grant to KWSB

Khawaja Izharul Hassan says the grant would pave the way for more corruption

KARACHI:

MPAs from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement opposed the provincial chief minister’s decision to release Rs160 million grant-in-aid for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to supply water through 1,000 tankers to those areas of the city facing acute water shortage.

Speaking to the media outside the Sindh Assembly on Friday, leader of the opposition Khawaja Izharul Hassan, flanked by over a dozen party MPAs, worried that the grant would pave the way for more corruption. “We want to know how the Sindh government will ensure that 1,000 tankers are supplied to different areas,” he said, urging the CM to focus on efforts to provide tap water rather than making ad-hoc arrangements.

Hassan claimed that the Sindh government had neglected Karachi, adding that they would soon visit various districts of Sindh, including the CM’s hometown of Khairpur, to review the development and law and order situation. “Billions of rupees have been spent in the name of security and development but the situation is worse than before,” he stated. “This is public money and the people want to know how the funds have been utilised.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2015.