Senate body concerned over supply of contaminated water from Rawal Dam

Islamabad

The members of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday expressed concerns over supply of contaminated and poisonous water from Rawal Dam to residents of the Rawalpindi.

The Senators attending standing committee pointed out that thousands of fish were found dead in Rawalpindi due to waste being mixed in water of Rawal Dam from poultry farms and other sources.

Senator Kamil Ali Agha and Senator Kulsoom Parveen observed that the cases of hepatitis in population of Rawalpindi were on the rise due to severe contamination in water of Rawalpindi. The committee members observed that the Punjab Government controls the Rawal Dam and it was responsible to stop water pollution in the reservoir.

The standing committee meeting chaired by its chairman Senator Talha Mehmood also discussed many issues including occupation of some buildings of Faisal Mosque by the International Islamic University (IIU), poor cleanliness arrangements in around the mosque, allotment of residential plots to deputationists, allotment of plots private hospitals and other institutions in violation of federal capital's master plan and poor drainage of rain water in various parts of Islamabad.

An official of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) apprised the committee members that poor cleanliness conditions in the Faisal Mosque were created owing to non provision of required funds for the last six months.

He said that tenders worth Rs4.7 million have been floated to purchase six machines to carry out cleanliness in the mosque. The official said the IIU was in occupation of auditorium, hostel and cafeteria of the mosque whereas the Government had allotted a complete sector spread over 745 acres for the university.

The Senators sought a detailed report on affairs of the IIU and Faisal Mosque and also summoned chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in the next meeting. The parliamentarians also took serious notice of rain water standing alongside various roads thus causing inconvenience to the residents and commuters.

The committee members observed that the CDA allotted plots to Shifa International, Maroof Hospital and various other institutions and even the beauty parlours in violation of the master plan whereas it is power of the federal cabinet only to review or the change the plan.

The committee members also directed the CDA management to strengthen its law wing so that cases pending in courts might be disposed off in the shortest possible time. The CDA official apprised the senators that all the old cases have been disclosed while the authority had won many important land related cases.