The Sindh government has decided to award greater Karachi water supply project, known as K-1V, to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and also announced to launch the project on March 23.
The decision was taken in a high-level meeting headed by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House. Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad specially attended the meeting. The other participants included provincial ministers Syed Murad Ali Shah, Jam Khan Shoro, CM Advisor on Information Mola Bux Chandio, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, ACS (Dev) Aijaz Ali Khan, Principal Secretary Alamuddin Bullo, Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput, Secretary Local Government Noor Mohammad Leghari, MD water board and other concerned officers.
The chief minister said that the K-IV project was most important in which his political leadership was also pressing hard to launch it in the larger interest of people of Karachi, so he suggested suggest to fix the date for launching the project.
Senior Minister for Finance and P&D Syed Murad Ali Shah briefed the meeting and said that he, along with his team, had held a meeting with the FWO director general last week. The FWO was ready to construct the project for Sindh government. Latter, another meeting of FWO and Sindh government officials/experts was also held to discuss the issues and work plan.
He said the FWO was ready to start work if they were given the contract. On this, the chief minister said that the FWO was a well-reputed organisation. In the interest of quality, smooth work and timely completion, the work should be awarded to the FWO, he opined. All the participants, including Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, supported the suggestion.
The chief minister directed the water board, and planning and development department to make contract with the FWO and award them work. “All the legal formalities must be met prior to signing the contract agreement,” he said and added that he would be happy to host the signing ceremony in the CM House.
The governor and the chief minister said that they wanted o launch K-IV project on March 23. “Historically, it is a good date and an important project like K-IV must be launched on that day,” they said and directed the concerned minister and water board to make necessary arrangements for the purpose.
The total cost of the K-IV project is Rs 25.5 billion and is being launched to provide 650 MGD water to Karachi in three phases. In the first phase, 260 MGD water will be provided from Kinjhar to Karachi and in the second phase another 260 MGD, and in the third and final phase 130 MGD water scheme would be launched in 2020.
In the beginning of the meeting, fateh was offered for the departed soul of leading drama writer and literary figure Fatema Suriya Bajya.
The meeting also discussed the plight of some important parks of the city and said that most of the parks had no ownership. The concerned local bodies have pressures of other assignments and engagements, therefore parks are being neglected. As a result, the issues like encroachments and illegal possessions emerge. The organised mafias also took advantage of the situation. Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad suggested that the parks either be maintained by concerned DMCs or be given under an ‘adopt a park policy’.
