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Published 03 Sep, 2004 12:00am

HYDERABAD: Charge-sheet submitted in water case

HYDERABAD, Sept 2: The Market police here on Wednesday submitted a charge-sheet in the water contamination case before the civil judge and judicial magistrate-XI.

Names of then Hyderabad Development Authority director-general Ali Ahmad Lund and then Sukkur Barrage chief engineer Ghulam Nabi Mughal were not included in the final charge-sheet for lack of evidence against them.

However, on the basis of evidence collected by the senior investigating officer of the case, Maula Bux Leghari, names of Kotri Barrage chief engineer Agha Ali Hassan, Jamshoro thermal power house chief engineer Abu Adil, Wasa executive engineer Bashir Awan and assistant engineer Saleemudidn were incorporated in the case.

Prosecution witnesses included Nadir, Noor Mohammad, Mohammad Yaqoob, Sain Bux, Mazhar Hussain, Khuda Bux, Rashid Zafar and Mohammad Jummo. The charge-sheet will now be sent to the sessions judge who will refer it to the court concerned to hold the trial.

The investigating officer noted that the Sukkur Barrage chief engineer had complied with a directive of the secretary for irrigation to maintain the level of Manchhar Lake keeping in mind the threat of cyclone. Likewise, he said, no one had recorded his testimony against the HDA director-general.

He said he had prepared movies of the Jamshoro power house that showed that contaminated water was being discharged into River Indus which was witnessing shortage of water.

He said the power house did not have a treatment plant and it continued to release poisonous water into the Indus, to be mixed with drinking water. About the Kotri Barrage chief engineer, the investigating officer said he had not taken any initiative regarding supply of fresh water to Wasa and water of the Indus river remained highly contaminated.

He said Wasa officials Bashir Awan and Saleemuddin were nominated in the case for supplying contaminated water to people despite having test reports of their own laboratory.

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