Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has expressed optimism that his government will try its best to complete the Phase-I of K-IV Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme of 260 million gallons capacity (MGD) by the end of year 2019 though owing to a number of technical issues and financial issues due to increased cost of the project tremendously.
The Sindh CM expressed these views while talking to a group of newsmen here at the CM House on Wednesday. He said cost of phase-I of the K-IV project had increased to around Rs 53 billion from the initial estimated cost of Rs 25.2 billion as federal government had been giving over Rs 12 billion as its share for the project.
The CM said cost of the project had increased an unprecedented scale owing to several components and technical aspects of the project including proper fencing of the long water channel from Keenjhar Lake to Karachi, augmentation of the KWSB system, other infrastructure and physical work, procurement of land and equipment, and machinery for the project.
The Sindh CM conceded that initial feasibility of the K-IV project had been prepared some seven to eight years back, was in a correct manner owing to which initial cost of the project was not determined correctly. He told that contract for construction of Phase-I had been awarded to the Frontier Works Organization in the tenure of previous provincial government so that FWO could built the project expeditiously and complete it by the end of the term of government. "But very unfortunately this vision could not be achieved and the project got delayed owing to a number of unavoidable reasons related to its technical and financial aspects," CM said.
The Sindh CM said his government was fully committed to fulfil all financial obligations of the K-IV project despite unprecedented escalation in its cost, increasing technical and infrastructural requirements, and limited financial support from the federal government.
To a question, he conceded that the plan to build seawater desalination plant on shoreline of Karachi was a challenging project having several technical and financial implications but his government would try to build one such plant with support of private sector within the term of his present government.
To another question, Sindh CM also conceded that he could not lay foundation stone of Karachi Circular Railway project on 25 December, 2017 despite his repeated announcements and commitment to this effect as Chinese support and financial backing for the project had phenomenally diminished under the CPEC arrangement owing to the general atmosphere of political uncertainty in the country with term of previous government coming to an end.
The CM said now when back in power he would work expeditiously to explore the option of Chinese support for the KCR project and secure it at the earliest so to build it at the earliest.
He said it was desire of his government to at least build a component of the KCR project at the earliest and made it operational, which will be constructed along the main railway line in the city.
To a query, he said as per commitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the federal government would now finance the component of the project of Green Line section of BRTS related to operation of buses as earlier Sindh government was supposed to procure and run these buses.
DRACONIAN LAW: To a question, he said National Accountability Ordinance-1999 under which the National Accountability Bureau had come into existence was a draconian law, which had to be replaced sooner or later with a new accountability law.
"The NAO gives unbridled and sweeping powers to chairman of NAB, which are unprecedented in nature and never seen before in history of the country. For instance the NAB chairman declare any place anywhere in the country as a sub-jail to detain anyone under the NAO as even he could declare the house of Sindh Assembly as a sub-jail if he wants to as no one could prevent him from doing so," he said.
About accountability drive being carried out in the country, the Sindh CM said he still believes that anti-corruption was a provincial subject as the provincial governments were supposed to deal with this issue as Sindh government in the previous regime had also passed from provincial assembly a new provincial accountability law.
He said unfortunately he could not act upon the new provincial accountability law as there was much hue and cry on the issue from various concerned quarters in the country including the media.
He said officers in provincial bureaucracy could not perform well and discharge their duties for public good owing to the constant fear of accountability drive unleashed under the NAO.
He said owing to the same reasons desired actions could not be taken by officials of his government to bring much-needed reforms and improvements in health, education, sanitation, water supply sectors that were key to deliverance of his government for the people of Sindh.
Sindh CM confessed that much had to be done in health, education sectors of the province to improve them once emergency in these departments had been announced by him when he had become the provincial chief executive for the first time over two years back.
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