LAHORE: Warning bureaucracy to mend its ways, Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on Tuesday accused it of “putting roadblocks” in the way of Aab-e-Pak Authority and threatened to expose its deeds by next Wednesday if it does not improve its behaviour.

Speaking to media after inaugurating filtration plant by the Sarwar Foundation at the Lahore deputy commissioner office, he said that the Aab-i-Pak Authority file was moving from office to office for the last one-and-a-half-year and facing delays at almost every office.

“I will hold a meeting with the bureaucrats concerned in the next few days. If they continue doing what they have been doing, I will hold a press conference next Wednesday to expose them all,” the governor threatened.

In addition, “I myself and the board of the authority will soon apprise Prime Minister Imran Khan of the procedural hiccups and delays (by bureaucracy),” he warned, saying “Some bureaucrats have become so insensitive that they have no remorse even if children die by drinking unsafe water. I will no longer accept lame excuses for delay in providing safe drinking water to people. Enough is enough.”

Continuing, Sarwar said it was his life-long dream and objective to provide clean drinking water to people of Pakistan. He was working on the Aab-i-Pak Authority project for the past one-and-a-half-year since Prime Minister Imran Khan directed him to lead the initiative. He said he was committed to the cause but some “black sheep in bureaucracy” were trying to create hurdles.

“Some of them think that they would not let the Aab-i-Pak Authority function, even if poor people continue dying for want of safe water,” he observed. “Procedural snags had almost wasted two long years to keep the authority limping (towards bureaucratic approval) otherwise some 20 million people could, by now, have switched to save and clean drinking water.

Sarwar said that he felt pain, when he was reported that children of the poor were dying in hospitals due to water-borne diseases. But bureaucrats were not moved.

Foundation Vice Chairperson Begum Parveen Sarwar and district administration officials were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2020