Sindh CM Orders Completion Of Inquires Against Contracting Firm Of Mithi RO Plants

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar on Wednesday directed for early completion of inquiries against the contracting firm, Oslo, for not completing 2 MGD River Osmos (RO) Plant Mithi and 1.5 MGD RO Plant Islamkot so that it could be prosecuted

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2023) Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar on Wednesday directed for early completion of inquiries against the contracting firm, Oslo, for not completing 2 MGD River Osmos (RO) Plant Mithi and 1.5 MGD RO Plant Islamkot so that it could be prosecuted.

According to a CM House press release, the chief minister along with Caretaker Information Minister Ahmad Shah visited the Solar Desalination Plant Complex, Mithi, which was giving an abandoned look, a CM House press release said.

He was told that the plant had been non-operational for the last eight years and most of the solar plates installed on the rooftop were missing.

The CM was further informed that Asia's largest solar desalination plant complex, run by the Energy Department, was inaugurated in January 2015. It was providing drinking water, in addition to producing one megawatt of electricity, benefitting the people of Mithi city and some 100 villages. However, it was handed over to PHED Tharparkar in running condition, but due to negligence, the machinery rusted.

Consequently, the firm Oslo was given the contract to run the plant but it abandoned the plant in nonfunctional condition leaving the liability of Rs 80 million electricity bill.

The chief minister was told that the plant needed the replacement of all the membranes and some of the rusted equipment.

He ordered a forensic audit of the expenditures incurred by the private firm.

The CM visited the 1.5 MGD Islamkot RO Plant inaugurated in January 2015. Sindh Coal Authority installed the plant for Rs. 388.6174 million. The plant has a 650 KVA transformer, a 650 KVA generator and eight tube wells. It is designed to produce 25,000 gallons per hour. The plant has been non-functional for a long time.

To a question, the CM was told that an amount of Rs. 380 million was provided to the contracting firm, but the plant has hardly functioned. The CM was told that the district Tharparkar has 834 RO plants, out of them 555 were out of order. The CM expressed his extreme displeasure and ordered the completion of pending inquiries against Oslo. He said that the company not only be prosecuted but all the funds released to it be recovered.

The chief minister visited Govt Boys High School, Islamkot which has an enrolment of 1671 but had only 19 teachers. The CM visited the classrooms where no child could answer the basic questions of English language and science.

Baqar called the director of education but he had never inspected the school. The Lab of the school was in shambles and no practical was conducted. The computer lab had computers but without any IT teacher.

Some computer systems have been lying packed in the Lab since 2008.

The CM said that the school should have a teacher for 30 students but the director never bothered to visit the school, therefore the school is facing an acute shortage of students. Ultimately, the children are suffering. The CM talked to the Minister Education and Secretary of School Education and expressed his extreme displeasure.

He paid a surprise visit to RHC Islamkot being operated by PPHI. In emergency ward a patient was lying on the bed with an oxygen mask on his face, when the CM checked the mask there was no oxygen in the cylinder. At this the CM expressed his extreme displeasure and warned the in charge of the RHC to behave, otherwise, he would cancel the PPHI contract if such frauds were made.

In the children ward the patients (children) were facing a shortage of medicines. When the record was checked the RHC had a sanctioned strength of 47 doctors but only 18 were working there. The RHC had 150 OPDs of children daily.

The CM directed the Director General to personally visit all the PPHI facilities and give him a detailed report of their performance. If the PPHI was being given additional funds they would be recovered.

Baqar also visited Dr TF Jamal Veterinary Dispensary and checked their OPD record. He was told that they were attending to the patients/cattle at their home upon receiving the complaint. The CM was told that Islamkot has a vast population of different cattle. It has 143445 cows, 7866 buffalos, 304716 sheep, 407404 goats, 24358 camels, 43730 donkeys and 900 horses.

The chief minister visited Civil Hospital Mithi, checked the OPD record, went from ward to ward and interacted with the patients. He inquired the patients if they were given medicines free of cost and about the lab test being conducted free of cost. The patients had no complaints against the provision of medicines and lab tests. The hospital was equipped with the necessary machinery and gadgets.

The Chief Minister visited Marvis’ well at Bhalva village. He went to Marvi’s well which still had water. The water was taken out of the well and shown to the CM. He visited the museum of Marvi and saw the clothes, and utensils used by Marvi.

The CM but both the plants were non-functional, therefore he ordered the completion of pending inquiries against the contracting firm, The Oslo so that the firm could be prosecuted and recovery of the funds amounting to

Rs 380 million and Rs 80 million of electricity liabilities respectively could be recovered from the defaulting firm.