ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms here on Thursday asked the government to outsource Gwadar city water supply project to any reputed international firm.
The committee meeting, chaired by Senator Col (R) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashahadi, observed that annual cost of water supply to the city residents through tankers was around Rs one billion.
Mashahadi said, “Tanker mafia, operating in the Gwadar city, was looting people by charging exorbitant rates for the service. We cannot leave people of the city at mercy of the tanker mafia.”
A report of Senate Sub-Committee was also laid in the meeting.
The committee was also briefed by a senior official of Ministry of Science and Technology about the serious issue of sea erosion.
He said the government was vigilant and had allocated a reasonable amount to start work of the project, which had various phases like compiling preliminary report and required data.
Senator Kareem Khawaja said, “We need to understand gravity of the issue in the provinces which are facing serious threats of sea intrusion and land erosion.”
“I have been pushing the issue for last many years, I requested the ministry to start work on the project as soon as possible because sea erosion had affected the land in two provinces.”
The chairman termed the issue ‘national’ and sought attention of the federal government. “The Sindh government has started work on the sea erosion which is encouraging,” he added.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Senators Mufti Abdul Sattar, Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Saud Majeed and Agha Shahzaib Khan Durrani, besides senior officials of the Ministries of Planning and Development, and Science & Technology.
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