Despite repeated promises and recruitment drives, the Saaf Pani project by the government of the Punjab could not take off.
An admission of failure was made by Punjab’s top official before the Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice Saqib Nisar.
Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed further informed the court that Rs 4 billion have been spent on the project.
The SC bench rejected the CEO’s report and sought more details especially the amount paid as salaries and hinted the possibility of referring the case to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which is already investigating the irregularities in the project.
The court rightly took notice of the lavish spending made on salaries and perks for high level project employees and advertising.
The court proceedings are shocking to say the least.
That clean drinking water is not a priority for the provincial government was well known but to make a mockery of this vital public issue is even more disturbing.
This is a public health crisis.
The Punjab government is evidently more interested in completing large infrastructure projects for visibility during the forthcoming election campaign.
Access to clean drinking water should be a priority for all provincial and local governments in Pakistan.