Daily Times

KARACHI: Two arrested officials of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board have disclosed that several officials including Managing Director of entity were involved in misappropriation of industrial and commercial water connection funds during investigation by Anti Corruption Establishment.

ACE Inspector Rato Khan told Daily Times that several officials were also involved in this case and they could also be arrested for investigation.

Rato Khan informed that Inthazir Khan, Assistant Executive Engineer KWSB and Executive Engineer Abdul Rahim Palijo were arrested red handed and were sent to jail on judicial remand.

Deputy Managing Director Technical Services, officials of Finance, Human Resources, Planning and Projects, Revenue, Tax, directors, Executive Engineers, Assisted Executive Engineers and employees of KWSB are among the involved officials, who were extorting money for water connections and are acting as middleman, another official of ACE said.

During investigation it was revealed, that the KWSB officials were earning illegal money on one inch diameter water connection and were charging upto Rs 600,000, to Rs one million on one inch to half inch diameter, Rs 2 million to Rs 2.5 million on two inches diameter and Rs 10 million to Rs 50 million were being demanded for three and four inch diameter water line connections.

Misbahuddin Fareed MD’s two staff officers Asif Ali Khan and Allahi Baksh were involved in receiving the bribe money for water line connection files. It was also revealed that only one single inch line’s approval is given to the high rise buildings but 3 to 4 connections are allocated to the building causing millions of losses to the goverment, he added.

Misbah is only authorized to sanction more than two inch water connections but he was abusing official powers and was even signing half inch diameter water connections, ACE official informed.

The sanction of water connection for domestic, commercial purpose on residential and commercial plots, houses, high-rise buildings as well as for industrial plots and factories are subjected to the recommendation of a broad based committee in power but this procedure is not being practiced.

He was using his official powers in all the corruption being done by him alleged NAB officials.

One-window water connections scheme which was introduced during former MD, Ghulam Arif’s tenor has been abolished and illegal practices for new water connections are being opted in the department.

Due to time consuming delaying tactics and tough conditions, applicants are bowed to grease the palms of KWSB’s officials for seeking water connections within stipulated time, an official of KWSB said.

According to a survey report, the number of KWSB water consumers stands more than 1.75 million while in contrary power consumers of K-Electric are 2.84 million and gas users of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited stand around 2.76 million.

This shows the number of consumers of KWSB who are using water connections but they are illegal and undocumented which is inflicting millions of rupees in loss to government entity monthly.