The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) has failed to recover outstanding dues of Rs 35.357 billion pending against 17 departments of the federal government, well-placed sources told Business Recorder on Thursday.
Sources said that defaulters list of the government departments had been sent to Islamabad with a view to facilitating the KW&SB in dues recovery from the government departments.
Thereafter, it has been decided in a meeting at Islamabad, which was chaired by caretaker Finance Minister Dr Salman Shah, that all the federal government departments, corporations, and other agencies should pay 50 percent of the outstanding dues of the KW&SB in the first phase, sources added. Despite this decision by the federal finance minister, not a single defaulter department has yet paid the required amount of 50 percent of overall outstanding dues even after a lapse of the deadline, they maintained.
The defaulter departments are Pakistan Steel Mills, Clifton Cantonment Board, G.E Maint, Karsaz, A.G. Navy South, G.E. Air Faisal Base, A.G. Navy East, G.E. Air Malir, Malir Cantonment Board, Pakistan International Airline (PIA), G.E. Air Masroor Base, G.E. Air Korangi Base, G.E. Navy, Hub River Road; Korangi Cantonment Board, A.G. Navy PNS Mehran, Karachi Shipyard, and Site Limited. Sources said the KW&SB had finalised a report on outstanding recovery in which board had cited that no collection of bills had been made so far.
Moreover, the KW&SB has prepared a statistic report on the collection of water charges by defaulter departments, which have been sent to Islamabad for approval to take any decision against them, they apprised.
They said that board was waiting for getting the approval from the concerned federal department to cut water supply of defaulters again, adding that after approval, the KW&SB team would take action to recover dues from them.
The KW&SB initiated the bill collection process soon after its power supply from Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) was cut for not paying outstanding dues pending against it. The power cut to KW&SB remained for five consecutive days, sources said.
The KW&SB, therefore, has decided that the entire received amount as a payment of outstanding bills by these federal agencies will be utilised to pay the pending dues of KESC, they said.
It may be mentioned that the KW&SB had earlier cut water supply of these defaulter departments, however, on the assurance of the chief secretary that they would pay 10 percent of overall water bills, which they paid. Therefore, water connections have been reinstated on 10 percent payments, while Islamabad has also took notice of it and issued special directives to these departments for paying 50 percent water charges to resolve dispute with KW&SB, immediately, they added.
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