LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Thursday again directed the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) to submit a report of drinking water samples from different parts of the city after their tests from PCSIR laboratory.
The court observed that people were dying due to hepatitis whille the WASA and other provincial officials were resting in their homes.
“The deceased people are insects according to the government officials,” Justice Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Khan further remarked while hearing a petition questioning dilapidated sewerage system and provision of unclean drinking water in the provincial metropolis.
Earlier, Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi Advocate, the petitioner, appeared before the court and submitted that he wanted to withdraw his case as the issue of contaminated water supply to his home had been solved by the Wasa officials.
The judge expressed dismay over the lawyer’s statement and said why not the court should impose fine on the petitioner for wasting the court time if he had reached on a settlement with Wasa.
The court snubbed the petitioner lawyer and rejected his request to withdraw the petition by observing that this was a sensitive issue.
The court ordered to submit the report on drinking water samples after their tests from PCSIR laboratory, and adjourned hearing till January 13, 2014.
In another relevant case, the same court remarked that millions of rupees had been destroyed on the name of rehabilitation of sanitation system, but in vain.
Arguing the case, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the Public Health Engineering Department had not completed its projects within the specific time due to which most of the cities had turned into the pools. The court was also told that the funds of millions of rupees had been wasted on the name of rehabilitation.
On court query, an official of the department told the court that all the projects had been completed and handed over to the district and town administration. Now, it was their duty to look after these projects, the official added. At this, the judge remarked that it was a public interest case and the court could not overlook it. The responsible officials would be sent into the jails, the judge added.
The court summoned the secretary of the department and adjourned hearing till January 06, 2014.