HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Cha­mber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) has said that inefficiency of Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has caused insanitation in main markets and bazaars and urged Sindh chief minister to upgrade the agency to a corporation through reforms.

HCCI president Adeel Siddiqi said while speaking to representatives of various trade organisations during his visit to different markets on Tuesday that all main roads were overflowing with sewage, causing great difficulties to residents as well as motorists.

He said that Wasa had failed to deliver and had become highly inefficient civic body. HCCI had received complaints from residents of other areas as well, he said. He said that traders and businessmen paid Rs60bn to provincial government in taxes and it was incumbent upon the government to announce a package for business community of Hyderabad.

He maintained that it was time that Sindh chief minister should upgrade Wasa to a ‘water board corporation’ and launch reforms in the civic body. Biometric system should be introduced in Wasa and number of sanitary workers should be increased, he said.

He said that filtration plants being managed by Wasa should be improved as well because these were providing drinking water to people. Legislation should be introduced in Wasa which should treat ‘vandalising of water supply lines’ as an offence, he suggested.

He proposed that members of HCCI and traders’ representatives and social figures should be inducted in the board of directors of the upgraded ‘water board corporation’ so that collective efforts should be made for better working of Wasa.

He said that legislation should be made to ensure disconnection of illegal connections and 100pc recovery of bills. Concessions and installments should be given to consumers on bills so that service delivery could be improved, he said.

Mr Siddiqui was informed by Anjuman Tajiran Cut Piece Cloth and General Merchants Mohammad Rashid Qureshi that HCCI had played an important role in resolving serious problems of shopkeepers. Traders were being facilitated by Hyderabad Electric Supply Company, Traffic Management etc, he said.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2024