–CM chairs meeting on water policy
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in a follow-up meeting with a four-member World Bank delegation led by its Country Director Patchamuthu Illangovan, finalised three important projects for Karachi.
The meeting was attended by Melinda Good, Operations Manager, Amena Raja, Operation Officer, Saiyed Shabih Ali Mohib, Program Leader of World Bank and P&D Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Additional Secretary CM Secretariat Shahab Qamar and others.
In the meeting, the first project which came under discussion was Urban Management Project. Under this project, the capacity building of KMC and six DMCs would be developed and institutional reforms would also be introduced there.
Under this project ways and means would also be explored and implemented for enhancement of property tax in the city. The chief minister said that he has already devolved property tax to local bodies but now they would have to build a mechanism to collect it from their respective areas.
Under Urban Management Project, institutional reforms would also be introduced in Karachi Water & Sewerage Board. Metering and billing system would also be established along with major restructuring of the board.
Under the project, Treatment Plant known as TP-IV of 200 MGD Korangi would also be installed.
Yellow Line project was also discussed. The World Bank, in principle, has agreed to construct the entire infrastructure of BRT Yellow Line starting from Dawood Chowrangi to Numaish. It would be a 21 km long project. CM Murad said that it was an important project for the city and it would be a great service to this city.
Regarding Service Unit, the chief minister said that there were some procurement issues in 12 on-going World Bank projects in Sindh. The projects in progress include irrigation, agriculture, health, education and nutrition sector projects.
CM Murad said that these 12 projects have 12 different project directors and they all are making procurements on their own but through a different and time-consuming approach. He proposed that the World Bank should set up a separate unit under which procurement for all the World Bank projects could be brought under one umbrella.
P&D Chairman Mohammad Waseem gave two options for the procurement unit. He said that the unit could cover only the on-going projects or be given the domain of only new projects.
The meeting decided that the World Bank officers would hold another meeting with the P&D chairman to give final shape to the projects so that they could be approved in the third meeting.
CM CHAIRS MEETING ON WATER POLICY:
CM Murad, presiding over a preparatory meeting for the national water policy meeting to be held under the chairmanship of prime minister in Islamabad on Thursday, worked out his strategy.
The meeting was attended by Minister IF Taimore Talpur, Principal Secretary to CM Sajif Jamal Abro, Secretary Irrigation Jamal Shah and other concerned officers.
The chief minister said that he would urge the meeting to allocate 1,200 cusecs of water for Karachi in the new policy. “Karachi is mini-Pakistan and people from all over Pakistan live here, therefore every province should share in the allocation for Karachi,” he said.
In the National water policy meeting, the matters which would be discussed include National Water Policy and Pakistan Water Chapter; Ground Water Regulatory Framework, Trans-boundary Water Issues.
The chief minister was told that the federal government was interested in handing over the Reni Canal to the Sindh government for further management. The chief minister said that Reni Canal was 10 years old and needed some repairing, therefore, WAPDA should be asked to undertake the required works.
CM Murad also directed the secretary irrigation to conduct the survey of the canal’s required works and recommend the same to the WAPDA.
It may be noted that Reni Canal is 46 km long emanating from Guddu Barrage and ending at Nara Canal. It has a capacity of 5,155 cusecs and is constructed for irrigating 400,000 acres land.
The chief minister was also told that the federal government was keen to hand over Darwar Dam to the Sindh government.
CM Murad also directed secretary irrigation to conduct a survey of the dam and report to him.
