KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Sindh government to engage a firm to conduct forensic audit of the North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC) over its poor performance to deliver safe drinking water in eight districts of the province.
A three-member bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, ruled that the private firm would carry out the audit of the agency from the date it had begun its operation in the province. The firm is required to finish its job within two months and submit report.
The bench that also comprised of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Faisal Arab gave these directions while hearing a case pertaining to shortage of potable water and poor sanitation conditions in Sindh, at the court’s Karachi registry.
The Sindh chief secretary informed the bench that NSUSC had failed to deliver services and therefore the government has decided to wind it up. He added that the agency recruited 735 employees without approval from the provincial government.
He said the government was paying Rs 35 million every month to the agency for payment of salaries to its employees.
Justice Hani observed that hefty credits were obtained to fund sanitation and provision of potable water services in Sindh and the entire amount had gone down the drain. However, there was no sense of accountability.
“We will send this matter to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take action against those responsible,” he warned.
The bench noted that people lacked access to safe and affordable drinking water despite spending billions of rupees.
Earlier, the judicial commission set up by the court to inquire into the shortage of safe drinking water and poor sanitation conditions had held NSUSC responsible for the abysmal condition of sanitation and shortage of drinkable water in the province. The bench further directed the Sindh government to include the secretary irrigation in the committee formed to make the filter and treatment plants functional.
Earlier, the court had directed the government to form a committee to make all filter and treatment plants fully operational and ensure chlorination of water, setting up of computerized laboratories and deployment of trained staff to test the quality of water.
