RAWALPINDI, June 4: The district council on Tuesday was assured that water crisis in the city would be resolved to a great extent by the end of the current month.

The director (Water Supply), Water and Sanitation Agency, Malik Akram, told the council that full-fledge supply from Khanpur and Rawal dams would be started by the end of current month after which the problem of scarcity would be greatly resolved.

He said the faulty tubewells would also be repaired to improve water supply situation. He further stated that new tubewells were being installed.

Responding to the points raised by some of the members, he said the ground water-level in the city had reduced as a result of which some of the tubewells were rendered non-functional. He said Wasa had very little to do with the situation as it was a natural phenomenon.

The district council member, Mian Imran Hayat, criticized the installation of new tubewells, saying these would do more harm than good as water level was already too low for sustaining new tubewells.

Another member, Abid Abbasi, opposed Mr Hayat’s point of view and asserted that new tubewells were required to end the water crisis.

The house, through a separate resolution, asked the district government to submit a report to the council about the number of vehicles being used by its officers and details of the expenses being incurred on each vehicle.

A woman member, Mrs Sarkar Abbas, had moved a motion against the misuse of official transport by the district government officers. She said the government spent millions of rupees on the fuel of these vehicles and much more on their maintenance.

She said these vehicles were being misused for personal purposes and the officers did not even refrain from bringing in fodder for their animals on them.

Mian Imran Hayat said the families of the officers could be seen using these cars at the expense of the taxpayers’ money.

He said: “We cannot develop as a nation until such misuse of resources is stopped.”

The council, through a unanimously passed resolution, extended full support to President Gen Pervez Musharraf in view of the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

The members, while taking part in the discussions, said they would rise above all political differences to counter the nefarious designs of the enemy as national interest was above all other considerations. The members reiterated their resolve to make all sacrifices for the country.

Col Abbas criticized the American government’s policy of adopting double standards with respect to issues confronting the subcontinent. He blasted the US government for not sincerely trying to resolve the dangerous stand-off between India and Pakistan.

The council, through another resolution, directed the Tehsil Municipal Administration to find a suitable solution to the problem of pedestrian-crossing on Murree Road near Asghar Mall Chowk.

District council member Mohammad Iqbal, through a motion, pointed out that no other place or option for crossing Murree Road had been provided at that particular point due to which people were seen jumping over the fence. Several accidents, some of which fatal, had occurred at that place, he said.

He demanded of the authorities to construct an underpass or an overhead bridge to facilitate pedestrians.

The council asked the district government to remove all non- essential male staff from girls education institutions.

Men should be appointed only against the male-specific appointments like guards, the council said in a resolution.

Mrs Sarkar Abbas said appointment of male staff in girls institutions had resulted in several complications creating a sense of insecurity among parents of the students. She said adjusting men in boys institutions would create new job opportunities for the women.

The council had to be prorogued due to lack of required quorum. Seventy members were present in the council, whose actual strength was 244.

Members, while discussing the absence of the quorum, said their colleagues had lost interest in the proceedings because of the non-implementation of the resolutions passed by the council and the indifference of the bureaucracy.