Sindh CM to challenge amendment in NAB ordinance

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday announced to challenge an amendment in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, under which any person accused of Rs50-million embezzlement would be given a C-class in jail.

Shah said the federal government amended the NAB Ordinance 1999 by encroaching upon the jurisdiction of the provincial government. “This is a purely jail manual matter and the federal government is not authorised to make such an amendment; therefore, the provincial government has decided to challenge it in the court of law,” he said.

Speaking to the media at a ceremony to hand over 20 suction and high-pressure jetting machines to Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB), the CM said the federal government had inserted Section 10 in the Ordinance. Jails were under the provincial government's jurisdiction and the centre had no authority to make such an amendment, he added.

Shah said the federal government had said numerous times the 18th Amendment was not a divine book that could not be amended. “I have told them that you can amend it just for giving devolving more powers to the provinces but you [federal government] will not be allowed to scrap it,” he said categorically.

In response to a question, the chief minister said the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) government in Sindh was accused of changing the alignment of the K-IV water project but it had been proved that the provincial government had nothing to do with it.

“The project will definitely see the light of the day for which I am working hard,” he said and added the S-III project would also be completed.

Shah said the provincial government was working with the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) on the K-IV and work would be started there very soon. Citing the example of Jamshoro-Sehwan duplication project, he added that his government had already given Rs7 billion to the centre despite the fact work on duplication of the road was going on at snail pace.

“This is the attitude of the federal government,” he lamented and recalled that Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a Rs162-billion package. “Though I was not in that programme yet I was happy to know that my city was getting a good development package,” he said, highlighting that the announcement proved to be a bubble of hot air at the end of day.

The CM said the federal government had destroyed the country's economy and that poor people could not afford square meals. He said he was shocked that the prices of vegetables have gone up and that the PM's finance adviser had recently claimed that tomatoes were available for Rs17 a kilo in the vegetable market.

As for the Sindh governor's residence, Shah said if Imran Ismail was living there, it was good. “It is a Governor House and the Governor has every right to stay there,” he said.

As far as bulldozing the walls of Governor House was concerned, his government would never allow such a move, he added.

The CM, quoting Article 105 of the constitution, said the Governor was bound to work on his advice. “This is very simple and there will be no differences if everyone follows his constitutional role,” he said.

Handing over of suction and jetting machines

Earlier, Shah addressed the handing-over ceremony of 20 machine-mounted vehicles, including 10 suction and 10 high-pressure jetting ones. He said his government was working to improve water and sewerage system in the city.

The CM said 20 vehicles mounted with 10 suction and 10 jetting machines were purchased at a cost of Rs900 million and that 37 old suction and jetting machines were being overhauled. The under-repair machinery and vehicles would be ready by June 2020.

The chief minister explained that a new pumping station — to provide 100 million gallons of water to the city — had almost been completed at a cost of Rs1.63 billion and would be launched in December 2019.

He added that the 50-year old Dhabeji pumping station was being upgraded and the old machinery repaired and overhauled in different phases for Rs1.23 billion.

The CM said a 24 inch diameter pipeline was being laid from Habib Bank to provide water to Baldia. This scheme has almost been completed at a cost of Rs400 million. He added that another scheme to improve water and sewerage system in the city has also been launched for Rs200 million and over 60 percent of the work had been completed on the scheme.

Talking about providing water to Lyari, the chief minister said that a 23-inch diameter line was being laid from Sindhi Hotel in New Karachi to Bakra Piri for Rs717 million. He added that with the completion of this scheme, Lyari's water issue would be resolved.

The chief minister said that another scheme of Rs300 million was approved to provide water to the residents of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Qayyumabad. Work on this scheme would be started within next three months, he added.

Shah said a scheme of Rs90 million (Rs15 million for each district of Karachi) was approved to improve water and sewerage issues in the city. He vowed to start work on the scheme by the end of December 2019.

The chief minister said the Rs95-million scheme, launched to provide water to the area of Mehmoodabad, Chanesar Goth, and Azam Basti, has been completed by 90 percent. The overall investment in water and sanitation sector of the city situation would improve considerably, he concluded.

Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah and KWSB's managing director Asadullah Khan also spoke on the occasion. The chief minister handed over the keys of vehicles to Khan.