Rawalpindi:
The Punjab Governor has formally issued a notification of the creation of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in the newly created tourist district in Murree together with three additional districts.
In Murree, a Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is also created, while Murree-Kotli Sattian Development Authority will be created in the two Hill Tehsils in the new district to promote and develop tourism. The announcement for the latter is expected in September.
With the addition of these three WASAs, the total number of such agencies in Punjab has risen to 18, 13 of which have been established during the current chief minister, Maryam Nawaz.
In Murree and the other two newly announced districts, the appointment of CEOs and senior officials must be completed within the next 72 hours. For the position of MD, panels of three candidates on shortlisted have already been submitted to the government.
Previously, WASA offices operated only in five major cities – Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan. In the first phase of the current government, 10 additional Wasas were created in Jhelum, Sialkot, Okara, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Jhang, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Hafizabad and Sahiwal, all of which are now fully operational.
The latest expansion is expanding coverage to Murree, Gujrat and Sheikhupura, while proposals have also been made to create WASA in three additional cities.
The purpose of setting up new WASA and PHA offices is to improve sanitary and drainage systems and improve urban beautification, thereby adapting these cities with the standards for more developed urban centers.
As a result of this latest decision, all three districts are served in the Rawal Pindi division – Rawalpindi, Murree and Jhelum – now by WASA.
Meanwhile, following the announcement of WASA and PHA in Murree, lobbying and political maneuvering has begun among officers from Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Lahore for key deals.
