KARACHI - On the directives of Adviser to Chief Minister for Anti-Corruption Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Anticorruption Establishment Sindh has launched grand operation against the gang involved in organised theft of water through tanker mafia at Dhabeji and Haleji Conduit busted on Friday.
According to Anticorruption authorities as many as 21 illegal water connections diverted to personal farm houses, dairy farms, and commercial cultivation in fields have been detected and sealed as these were illegally operative since many years in complicity with officers of KW&SB and other beneficiaries and sizeable portion of water meant for Karachi has been whisked away as such.
The ACE further revealed that in the same area, through yet another modus operandi water was being stolen from main installation of KW&SB by tanker owners for sale in city, illegally. As many as 13 uncovered / punctured sites enroute Haleji Conduit were detected and sealed. One water tanker being filled from one of opening was seized on site and contractor along-with driver have been booked.
The authorities informed that a number of such tankers illegally filled from KW&SB installation ply on road from Gharo via Dhabeji to Karachi, freely and they faced no checking on account of ‘monthly’ given to local Police and Water Board officers, regularly.
In the same vein, the authorities added that yet a different occurrence has been found deeply set out. Whereby, in the garb of subsoil water selling, approximately 46 contractors, possessing a fleet of tankers, keep stealing potable water from main pipeline of KW&SB only to either mix with little of subsoil water or park at subsoil station for further sell in city at highly profitable rates.
The ACE said that the subsoil water taking too was being done without any NOC and regulation. It was just a front to cover water theft from main trunk of water board line.
In latter instance, offices of DC, Police and Karachi Water Board were found involved as syndicate of crime , The Anticorruption Establishment informed that in overall crackdown against all above categories of water theft, 6 perpetrators including 2 XENs of KW&SB have been taken into custody for interrogation and more action. All illegal hydrants have been sealed, at once.