MQM was offering to strengthen the hands of his government o solve the persisting water shortage. The minister for local government and information, Sharjeel Inam Memon, responded that the help of Sindh Police and Rangers had been sought to bulldoze more than 120 illegal hydrants besides severing a large number of illegal connections.
“We have already intensified the operation against illegal hydrants and water connections. Now I have sent scanners for repair to enable us to detect illegal underground water connections. I will leave a drive in this regard shortly,” the local government minister said, adding that FIRs had also been lodged against the operators and owners of illegal hydrants.
On the occasion, both sides also agreed to declare water theft as a non-bailable offence. However, the chief minister said since the assembly was not in session, an ordinance might be promulgated in this regard. He assured the MQM that a draft will be prepared and shared with the party.
The MQM delegation also urged the Sindh government to launch the 65 MGD (million gallons per day) project and finish it within a year.
Finance minister Syed Murad Ali Shah agreed to arrange for the required fund at any cost if it was possible to complete the project within a year at which Memon quipped that an international tender in this regard will be invited by the first week of June.
He said the government was giving high priority to the project and its documentation was at the final stage.
Talking about the K-IV water supply scheme, the finance minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in the current annual development programme, the government had allocated Rs250 billion for the purpose and intended to allocate another Rs250 billion in the next financial year. “In this way the local government will have Rs5 billion at hand while the federal government will also be requested to allocate at least Rs3 billion,” he said.
Memon said that he had already begun work on the K-IV project and its formal ground breaking ceremony will be performed by the chief minister in the near future. He used the occasion to invite the MQM to launch the project jointly with the Sindh government.