Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) has failed to recuperate its encroached land located for the Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan III (GKSP-III), due to political influence, Business Recorder learnt. According to sources, the construction work of GKSP-III, which was due to commence in March 2008, has not been started yet because of illegal occupation of politically backed trespassers.
They said the project, which was announced by the former city Nazim Mustafa Kamal, seems to be shelved soon as the incumbent local government is showing indifference to remove encroachments. They further said the present government is portraying sluggish attitude to make the project visible on reality ground albeit it was approved in the tenure of past government.
They said the authorities concerned are presently reluctant to release funds for the project, despite having undertaking of both federal and provincial governments to equally share its cost of construction. To a question, they dispelled the impression that the project would create environmental risks, saying that it would improve the city's environmental condition rather than to create hazardous impact on it. Moreover, they said that the project would make the sea-belt pollution free, which would create healthy impact on the already depressed seafood industry besides helping the authorities concerned to fulfil the requirements of WTO, EU, USA, ISO and EPA.