Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

civil administration, seemingly impaired, after 2001 administrative
paradigm and disconnect since dissolution of LGs in end-2009.
Frequent warnings to vacate the potentially exposed areas were
ignored at the instance of local wizards claiming to know the Indus
better but confronted by nature with what they never expected;
local resistance and hostilities were unleashed for various reasons
and motives, to prevent timely relief cuts at certain locations e.g.
near RD 4000 Muzaffargarh was cited where departmental staff
was manhandled and transport and equipment brought for relief
was allegedly burnt down by the mob, leading to initiation of
criminal proceedings. The silver lining here was that departmental
probes were conducted and responsibilities for acts or omissions
including attempts at forgery were identified with promptitude, and
repairs to protective bunds were undertaken to restore where
necessary with modified structures, without waiting for Federal
approvals/ funds. Fundamental issues have been raised in the
expert testimonies before the Punjab Commission viz a viz quality
of professional inputs in the WB funded Taunsa Bund Remodelling
Project executed at the cost of around Rs. 11 billion during 2004-
09. These revealed serious capacity constraints of the
departmental officials and their skills over the years-despite
manifold expansion in the irrigation establishment, fragmented in
material respects since July 1970.
c. The newly appointed Secretary Irrigation Department, Sindh, Mr.
Memon touched upon the factual narrative but deposition was
made through the Chief Engineer Guddu Barrage, Mr. Zafarullah
Mahar, who restated what was deposed before the SJC, to dismiss
the concept of pre-determined SOPs for human interventions, to
assert that no cuts/ breaches were permissible in the flood
protection bunds. It was, however, conceded that most bunds,
including Tori Bund, had lost almost 70 inches or so of their
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