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KARACHI:
The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Friday decided to hold quarterly review meetings to monitor the K-IV and other key projects, push for faster progress and proposed to convene a joint session of all concerned Senate committees to help resolve Karachi’s long-standing water and sanitation problems.
The body, which met Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hassan in the Presidency of the Sindh Assembly building, received detailed information on the performance of the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) and Ogra.
While taking note of the water supply problems in Karachi, the panel urged the Sindh government to take prompt steps to tackle the oil tanker mafia and improve the existing water infrastructure of the metropolis in keeping with the growing population.
The Senate body decided to convene quarterly review meetings to monitor the K-IV and other important projects and expedite their progress. He also suggested holding a joint meeting of all relevant Senate committees in the presence of Sindh Chief Minister, Karachi Mayor and senior officials to resolve Karachi’s long-standing water and sewerage problems.
The senators raised concerns over the water supply situation in Karachi and the unauthorized operations of the tanker mafia, lamenting that the tanker mafia had been allowed to “divert the city’s water supply”, forcing citizens to pay for water.
The committee urged the Sindh government to take immediate steps to tackle the oil tanker mafia and upgrade the existing water infrastructure of Karachi in line with the K-IV water supply project and the growing needs of the city.
The committee further decided that matters related to financing and progress of the K-IV project would be reviewed on a quarterly basis. He suggested convening a single agenda joint meeting of Senate Standing Committees on Finance with participation of Sindh Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Karachi Mayor, KWSC Director General and other stakeholders. (With contribution from APP)
