Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on Tuesday reprimanded bureaucrats for putting roadblocks in the way of Aab-e-Pak Authority that was created to provide safe drinking water to people at their doorsteps.

The Punjab governor was talking to media persons after inaugurating filtration plant installed by the Sarwar Foundation at Deputy Commissioner (DC) Office, Lahore, on Tuesday. Sarwar Foundation Vice-Chairperson Begum Perveen Sarwar and District Administration Officials were also present on the
occasion.

“Bureaucrats should mend their ways or I would be compelled to expose them in front of their nation,” he warned.

He regretted that some bureaucrats had become so senseless that they had no remorse even if children of a lesser God would die while drinking unsafe water. He said that he could no more make lame excuses for delay in providing safe drinking water to people and warned that “enough is enough”.

He said it was his life-long dream and objective to provide clean and safe drinking water to people in Punjab as well as in other provinces.

He said that he was working on the Aab-e-Pak project for the past one-and-a-half-year since Prime Minister Imran Khan directed him to lead the project and ensure the provision of safe drinking water to people across Punjab.

Sarwar said that he was committed to providing the basic human necessity to all people in the province but some black sheep in the bureaucracy were trying to create hurdles in providing clean drinking water to people.

“Some bureaucrats think that they will not let the project operate even if poor people continue dying for want of safe drinking water,” he observed.

He regretted that the procedural snags had almost wasted two long years to keep the authority limping otherwise some 20 million people would now be able to switch to save and clean drinking water.

“I will hold a meeting with the bureaucrats concerned in a few days to come and if their stubbornness
continued, expose them in a press conference next Wednesday,” the governor asserted.

Punjab governor said that he felt pain when he was reported that children of poor people were dying in hospitals due to water-borne diseases but bureaucrats were not moved even a bit. He explained that Aab-e-Pak Authority’s file was moving from one office to another and facing roadblocks at almost every office.

He said bureaucrats should show some mercy towards poor and vulnerable masses and let people get safe drinking water and live healthily.

“The authority’s board and I will soon apprise Prime Minister Imran Khan about the ground realities,” he
warned while stressing that it was high time people are provided with safe drinking water.