Rawalpindi:The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi has urged the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to reconsider its decision to cancel a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a major water supply project worth Rs1.10 billion, warning that the move could delay the scheme and affect water availability in several parts of the city.
The Punjab government-funded project aims to improve Rawalpindi's water supply infrastructure and ensure the provision of safe drinking water to residents through the installation of 12 tube wells.
According to WASA, the tube wells were planned for installation along the green belt of the Islamabad Expressway after the CDA issued an NOC following a joint site inspection and verification process. Based on the approval, machinery was transported to the site and nearly 50 per cent of the work has already been completed, while the remaining work is underway.
WASA officials said the agency has also deposited Rs5.42 million with the CDA as NOC and permit fees for the use of the green belt area, installation of tube wells and laying of pipelines.
However, the CDA has subsequently cancelled the NOC, a decision that WASA believes could result in significant delays, financial losses and wastage of public funds. The agency warned that the cancellation may also adversely impact water supply arrangements in various localities of Rawalpindi.
WASA spokesperson Umar Farooq said the project has the capacity to provide clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of residents and appealed to the CDA to restore the NOC in the larger public interest.
Local government representatives and residents have also voiced concern over the cancellation. Union Council Chaklala Village Chairman Waqar Hussain Dar, Union Council Garibabad Chairman Noman Taj Abbasi and Union Council-78 Chairman Dost Muhammad Khan, along with residents of the affected areas, urged authorities to allow the project to proceed.
They said the planned tube wells would help ease the water shortage in several neighbourhoods, including Chaklala, Chaklala Village, Faisal Colony, Airport Society, High Court Road, Dhoke Chaudhry, Dhoke Hafiz, Dhoke Munshi, Palm City, Jaba, Morgah and adjoining localities.
