Judicial body orders reopening, running Baldia hydrant for 12 hours a day

A Supreme Court-mandated judicial commission on Monday ordered that a hydrant which had been closed in Baldia Town be reopened and run for 12 hours daily to overcome a persisting water shortage in the area.

The commission, headed by Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, was informed that the hydrant needed to be reopened as there was no water in the system due to a reduction in the water level at the Hub Dam.

It ruled that the private contractor would charge Rs1,000 instead of Rs1,200 and the hydrant will run for 12 hours every day. The commission said the managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board would ensure that the hydrant was supervised by the Rangers to avoid any law and order situation.

It further said the contractor would not run the hydrant on a commercial basis and that it would be exclusively used for the public of the locality at the prescribed rate and any complaint would expose the contractor to the prosecution.

The commission also pointed out unchecked activities and the conduct of KWSB valves men and said some valves men were living a life which could not be imagined even by the MD of the water utility.

A counsel representing residents of Clifton submitted that people were not being provided water despite the payment of charges, whereas the Bilawal House, the headquarters of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was being supplied with water for free.

The commission observed that the Bilawal House was not being provided water for free when he had assumed the office and he knew that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari purchased water. The KWSB MD submitted that the Bilawal House was not paying the water charges, but now they paid water tankers’ charges.

Regarding an encroachment in SITE area, the commission directed the chairman task force to submit a report about the encroachment by the owners of a factory after interacting with the district administration by October 29.