KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), while strongly condemning disconnection of Sub-soil water supplies to industries in Site area, urged the government to immediately allow industries to continue using sub-soil water so that they could overcome their industrial needs.
In a statement issued, Chairman Businessmen Group & Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli and President KCCI Younus Muhammad Bashir stated that the industrial units in Site area have been using sub-soil water under Chief Minister’s specific directives, who allowed industries to use sub-soil water. In this regard, a committee was formed by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah to deal with water issues and an agreement was signed by Commissioner Karachi and the Officers of Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) quite some time ago which allowed the industries to treat and utilize sub-soil water for industrial usage but now, this agreement has been completely ignored by the current Managing Director of Water Board who is misguiding the Sindh government.
They said that the action was supposed to be taken against those industrial units which are involved in stealing water being supplied by Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) but it is highly unfair to take action against industrial consumers of sub-soil water.
BMG Chairman Siraj Kassam Teli said that Sindh Minister for Local Government Jam Khan Shoro has surely been misguided by Managing Director KWSB Misbahuddin Farid in order to hide their own thefts and to cover the inefficiencies of Water Board.
“It is highly unfair to deprive the industry from sub-soil water which was allowed by the honorable Chief Minister”, he said and urged the government to refrain from taking such anti-business steps.
President KCCI Younus Muhammad Bashir stated that if supply of sub-soil water was not immediately restored, it would result in intensifying the hardships for the industries in Site area. This anti-industry step should be immediately revoked and the industries must be allowed to keep using sub-soil water in order to save them from suffering losses and delaying their export consignments.
“Instead of creating problems for industrialists, the corrupt officers of KWSB must be taken to task, which would automatically result in improving the water supply situation to a certain extent”, he opined while severely slamming KWSB for its mismanagement and inefficiencies.
