‘Give public schools potable water or face SC proceedings’

A Supreme Court-designated judicial commission on Saturday took exception to the non-compliance of its direction with regard to supplying potable water to public schools across the province, and directed the education department to comply with the order within a month or face the SC’s proceedings.

The commission investigating the non-provision of potable water, proper sanitation facilities and healthy environment to Sindh’s people took notice of the supply of untreated water to state-run schools.

The education secretary informed the judicial body that schools that are required to provide potable water are being provided with the commodity without being filtered. Headed by Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, the judicial commission observed that its directives have seemingly been completely overlooked by the education department.

The judicial body said that the previous education secretary had submitted a work plan with regard to supplying potable water to public schools through a filtration system.

Besides, observed the commission, the work plan submitted by the education department time to time clearly showed the component of ultraviolet disinfectants and RO plants.

The commission observed that now a somersault has been done in defiance of the directives of the judicial body and in contradiction with the earlier work plan submitted by the previous education secretary.