HYDERABAD: Office-bearers of the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) Mazdoor Union have urged the provincial government to restore subsidy for Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) which should also be allocated its share in the recovery of property tax by Sindh local government department.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club on Sunday, the union’s president Sajid Taqi, general secretary Insaf Lashari and others cautioned that a salary crisis was likely to hit the (HDA), and called for release of funds for salaries.

They also urged PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, LG Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput to pay serious attention to the departments and civic agencies like Wasa.

They said that all federal and provincial government departments should be bound down to pay their water charges to Wasa. They said that Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) should abide by its 2021 memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Wasa and start paying water charges to Wasa.

They said that Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) should comply with high court’s orders and pay 60pc betterment charges to Wasa as well. They said that new schemes should be introduced in HDA so that liabilities of retired employees could be cleared easily. They called or practical steps in HDA so that it could become self-sustaining agency.

They lauded efforts of HDA director general Fuad Ghaffar Soomro as he had endeavoured to improve its financial position. But, they said, price hike was making everything difficult. They said that HDA employees were supporting their officers and they would not allow anyone to question bona fide intention of the HDA management.

They demanded regularisation of work charge employees in HDA. They said subsidy to Wasa was discontinued in 1992 due to anti-worker policies that led to a financial crisis in Wasa and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.

They said Sindh CM should ensure subsidy for HDA on the pattern of Karachi Development Authority and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation so that employees’ salaries could be disbursed timely.

They said schemes should be introduced at government level for running HDA which should also be provided new land on the outskirts of the city to enable investors to make investment to the benefit of provincial government and HDA.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2023