KARACHI, Nov 4: Police investigating the theft of 22 components of the Rs320 million Karachi Port Trust fountain, installed in 2006 with a federal government grant, have issued notices to the port authorities asking them to get their statements recorded when the investigators found the KPT uncooperative and distancing itself from the process, heightening suspicions of the law enforcers about the involvement of officials in the organisation in the offence.

Background interviews with investigators and a very defensive response from the KPT authorities suggested that the investigation into the theft of the 500-foot-high Water Jet Fountain at Oyster Rock, falling under the KPT’s administrative jurisdiction, has stalled, as the police’s lethargic approach coupled with an indifferent attitude of the port officials have so far contributed to suppress the gravity of the incident.

However, the police officials allege that it is more due to non-cooperation of the KPT officials, who prefer to stay away from the investigations. Despite several informal and formal requests, not a single person from the KPT has turned up to record his or her statement, they say.

“Finally the police have issued a notice to the KPT officials concerned, under Section 160 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code), which relates to police officers’ power to require attendance of witnesses,” said an official, citing recent correspondence between the two sides.

He said after lodging an FIR (159/2008) under Section 380 of the Pakistan Penal Code last month on the complaint of an assistant electrical engineer of the Water Jet Fountain, the KPT administration was found uninterested in pursuing the case and after almost a month, the police investigators remain clueless and even do not know how many persons were actually appointed to run such a huge machine.

The Water Jet Fountain project was launched in December 2004 and completed in January 2006 with claims of the federal ministry of ports and shipping that it was the biggest display of its kind and had the first place in the world’s artificial fountains. It had generated enormous media hype much before it was launched.

However, in less than three years, it is nowhere on the ground and the fact was put on record when the Docks police in Keamari Town lodged an FIR for the theft of the huge machine, on behalf of the assistant electrical engineer of the Water Jet Fountain, on Oct 8.

A copy of the FIR suggests that culprits took away some 22 parts of the machine separately and the KPT administration came to know of it only when it found the fountain out of order several days after the incident. Installed more than a nautical mile from the seashore, the KPT administration admits that it would have required the culprits to use boats for such a daring venture, but it remains unable to define why it has not yet identified any of the staff concerned responsible for the negligence.

“The inquiry regarding the theft is under process by the KPT administration,” said a KPT spokesman. “The KPT administration has constituted an inquiry committee. The operation and maintenance team of the M&E department is responsible for operation and maintenance of the port fountain and the security of the port fountain’s equipment and site is the responsibility of the commandant of the Port Security Force. Staffs of both departments are appearing before the inquiry committee.”

Repair contract

Though the KPT management has been unable to trace the culprits behind the incident, it was quick enough to award the contract for the repair of the fountain crippled by the theft, and foreign companies were engaged to fix the 500-foot-high Water Jet Fountain at Oyster Rock.

“The rectification of the defect is in hand with M/S Hydro Diesel Company of Holland and M/S MTU Germany,” said the spokesman. “Efforts are being made to make the fountain operational as soon as possible after rectification of the faults.”

Since the KPT did not come up with a satisfactory reply about suspicions on its officials, which could have led to disciplinary action against its staff concerned, the police investigators were firm in their suspicions about the involvement of port officials and workers in the rip-off.

“We suspect that the investigation would lead to culprits within the KPT,” said an official. “There has been no response from the KPT administration so far and such an attitude further strengthens these suspicions.”