KARACHI: The Anti-Theft Cell set up in the Water Board without SNE and budget has been made a source of income by the officers and employees. Despite the orders of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Abdul Wahid Sheikh is busy stealing water after taking his monthly and weekly package instead of shutting down illegal hydrants.
According to details, the Anti-Theft Cell (ATS), which was set up illegally in the Water Board on the verbal instructions of Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, provided water to illegal connections, money hydrants, underground lines and small tanks in the city. Regular hydrants have been openly allowed in Manghopir, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Shahra-e-Faisal including delivery, from where part of the citizens’ water is being stolen and sold to the citizens through expensive tankers.
Abdul Wahid Sheikh, in charge of the Anti-Theft Cell, is the Executive Engineer of Hub Trunk Man (HTM) However, hydrants have been made by obtaining illegal connections from large lines, due to which there is no complete supply of water to the municipality, site and other related areas.
Contrary to the orders of the Supreme Court, at present Abdul Wahid Sheikh has two other charges besides Hub Trunk Man, of which Officer-in-Charge Anti-Theft Cell itself is a full-time job. A secretary has been appointed to the committee set up for the issuance of the Act. Contempt of court is also being committed where the rights of eligible and other officers are being violated due to the said two and three posts.
It is learned that due to the whims of Abdul Wahid Sheikh, Chief Engineer (IPD) Saeed Sheikh has also withdrawn from Abdul Wahid Sheikh. He has started doing this and even in the name of the Minister of Local Government, he has not taken the regular large amount of money and delivered it to the top officials.
Abdul Wahid Sheikh has also included Imran Khan, a former activist of APMSO, a sub-organization of MQM, in his team who is also his front man. A large amount of money has been obtained and not brought to the notice of Abdul Wahid Sheikh. Recently, Imran has not even proved the illegal connection of water by damaging the machinery worth millions of rupees.
Apart from this, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Jamil-ud-Din has also been given go-ahead in the Anti-Theft Cell in which he has started business from the underground water workers in the city, while Sub-Engineer Irshad has also given Manghopir, SITE, Malir Nadi, Korangi, Bilal Chowrangi and other areas to get extortion money from illegal hydrants set up between Mehran Town buffalo enclosures including illegal system.
In this regard, the office of Abdul Wahid Sheikh, in-charge of the anti-theft cell and was also contacted on the phone but he did not receive the call, while sub engineer Imran Khan stated that he had operated on the Landhi Zenith filter plant but there was no illegal connection, Imran said, “I did not file the case. The case is filed by any officer on our behalf,” while Irshad admitted that he had taken money from only one or two places. No money has been taken from anyone involved in illegal water smuggling.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting on the prevention of water theft was held in the city under the chairmanship of Vice Chairman Water Board Syed Najmi Alam. Two Vice Chairman Nadeem Kirmani, Personal Secretary to Vice Chairman Agha Saeed, Chief Security Officer Water Board Retired Colonel Zia Zaidi, Retired Major Abdul Majeed Awan, Incharge Anti Theft Cell Water Board Abdul Wahid Sheikh participated in which Najmi Alam said that Anti Theft Cell Water Accelerate anti-theft operations, disconnect illegal connections and demolish illegal hydrants, take strict legal action against the culprits.
