Various sectors of Capital: Senate body discusses non-provision of drinking water

The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday took strong notice of non-provision of drinking water in various sectors of the federal capital and the incoherence in different replies by the relevant officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD).
Senator Talha Mehmood chaired the meeting here at the Parliament House. The meeting was given a detailed briefing about sector-wise allocation of quota for provision of water supply and shortage of water in all sectors including sector D-12. It was stated in the briefing that rainwater is the only source of water supply in different sectors of Islamabad, for which Simly Dam is the main reservoir.
The officials from the CDA and CADD could not give convincing replies to questions about demand and supply, reasons for the gap, capacity and condition of reservoirs and concrete measures taken by the CDA to tackle the issue of water scarcity. The committee directed both bodies to come up with proper answers to all questions in the next meeting scheduled to be held on May 23.
The committee after hearing opinion of Ministry of Law and CADD disposed of the bill titled "Right to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017" moved by Senator Mian Atteeq Sheikh. The meeting was told that in a meeting with the officials of the CADD, the mover had agreed on soliciting opinion of Law Division on the bill and had said that he would second whatever proposal comes up by the Law Division. The Law Division and Ministry of CADD opposed the bill.
Regarding the public petition pertaining to exploitation of parents and students by private schools and use of drugs in public/private educational institutions, the committee was given a briefing by chairman Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PIERA). A report prepared by Anti-Narcotics Wing of Ministry of Interior was shared with the committee naming eight institutions of Islamabad where drug use was hinted. However, it wasn't clear whether there was any evidence of drug being openly sold within or outside the premises of these educational institutions. Talha Mehmood observed that there is a need for a stronger system of checks and balances after such rumours but there seems to be no such measure. Islamabad police briefed the committee that in the last four months 315 people have been arrested in connection with drug use out of which 23 people were related to drug use in the educational institutions. The committee also heard the president of Federation of Employees Co-operative Housing Society, E-11, who told the meeting that the society which was registered in 1982 has now been declared illegal by the CDA after cancellation of its layout plan.
The layout plan was approved previously but was cancelled unilaterally by the CDA. The committee recommended that the status of society should be restored as it was in 2015, besides 26 kanals of land of the society under the possession of some other society should also be given to them. The matter will be taken up again in the next meeting. While discussing the question of Senator Azam Swati regarding violation of the by-laws by shopping malls and hotels in the federal capital, Talha Mehmood noted that anything against the law and which results in suffering of people should be dealt with in exemplary way.
The mover pointed out that the Centaurus Mall Islamabad has violated the by-laws by using the space fixed for parking area as a departmental store and by not building the fourth tower which was to be a hotel and was the major part of the project.