NAB begins probe into K-4 project

KARACHI: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has started investigations into the K-4 water scam project for Karachi and the MD Water Board was asked to submit all the relevant records. The critically-important water project for Karachi is proposed to draw water from the Keenjhar Lake, Thatta, after covering 121-kms.

The NAB has constituted a JIT to probe into the project whose cost ballooned from Rs25 billion to Rs100 billion due to incompetence of water board officials. The NAB has also found some clues of alleged corruption in K-4 mega project and asked the MD Water Board Asadullah Khan to submit the board’s record. The JIT has sought queries about the Nespak consultant and several project directors, besides reviewing the project’s PC-I and change of project's route in order to save the land of influential persons. It will also probe into the misappropriation of funds and withdrawal of hefty project allowance.

Earlier, according to NAB sources, the Water Board officials could not give any satisfactory explanation to the queries of the three-member Sindh government panel investigating the serious lapses in the project's feasibility report. The Sindh government panel had identified several serious blunders and omissions into the multi-billion rupee worth K-4 project. In a shocking development, the feasibility report had not included the critically-important water reservoirs of Haleji Lake and Hadeiro Lake along the 121-km-long route from Keenjhar Lake to Karachi.