QUETTA, Nov 26: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has said that 400,000 connections provided by WASA were illegal and cost of a water project for Quetta city, initiated with an initial amount of Rs7 billion, had now shot up to Rs22bn.

The chief minister said the purpose of departments was to provide facilities to the masses.

Besides, he said, departments should generate their own revenue to bear expenditures but now these same institutions had become a burden on the provincial exchequer.

He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Balochistan Labour Federation here on Tuesday. The delegation was led by its president Khan Zaman.

He said an amount of Rs155bn from the annual budget of Balochistan was being spent under the head of non-development expenditures and salaries.

Dr Malik said the sanitation conditions in the city were poor and the presence of ghost employees was a big issue. However, he told the delegation that the government was determined to resolve all these issues.

He said the departments would be put on the right track and in this connection all would have to play their role, adding the government would bring a balance in rights and duties.

The labour organisations, he added, should also discourage those employees who were receiving salaries by sitting at their homes.

He said that a huge amount was being spent on salaries of employees thus they should perform their duties regularly and consider serving of people their first priority.

The chief minister said that in any vibrant society rights and duties move together, adding that the degradation of institutions was a matter of concern for everyone.

He also informed the delegation that under the 18th Constitutional Amendment legislation was being made for the protection of interests of labourers, adding that labour-friendly laws would be formulated.

On the occasion, the chief minister issued directives to the officials concerned for release of blocked salaries of QDA, BDA and WASA employees. He also assured the delegation that salaries of employees of Turbat would also be released.