After Brigadier Iftikhar Haider, Managing Director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), it is now turn of the deputy managing directors to proceed on leave to save themselves from departmental disciplinary actions on the grounds of inefficiency and indiscipline.
Sources said on Wednesday said that the KWSB Chairman has warned all those officers concerned with revenue generation and development work to meet targets of completion of development projects before the close of the current financial year.
They said that all the officers had been given target date for the completion of their works.
They said those who found the targets difficult, were given option to proceed on leave and make room for those who were efficient and hardworking.
The utility has about three billion rupees stuck up with its domestic and public sector customers, recovery of which seems difficult unless coercive measures are adopted.
They said that the continuing tiff between the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) over the outstanding water and conservancy dues and the KWSB had reached a point of bitter disagreement over the actual amount of dues.
Sources said that the KWSB Chairman was in a fix and unable to decide which way to go. On the one hand, he wanted to maintain cordial relations with the people in uniform and on other, he wanted settlement of the outstanding dues, they added.
But till such time arrives, the KWSB chief wants the utility to manage its house and take such measures that helps in the collection of outstanding dues.
To begin with, the KWSB has drawn a plan to launch recovery drive in April and plans to at least halve the outstanding dues against private consumers.
A committee was set up some time ago to resolve these outstanding issues with the public sector is also being restructured to make it more effective.
Sources said that the proposal to issue bills on monthly basis had so far not been finalised. "Once it is made applicable, there would be less accumulation of dues, as consumer would be paying it along with other bills in smaller amount," they added.