PESHAWAR: Expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of the much-publicised governmentowned civic agency, the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar, the local government department has removed some posh localities and main roads from its jurisdiction and handed them over to the Peshawar Development Authority.

The LG department has taken this decision on the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, according to a notification issued here.

`The handing over of posh localities and main roads from the WSSP to the PDA is an embarrassment for the former, which couldn`t addressthe shortage of drinking water in Hayatabad,` a senior official in the LG department told Dawn.

The WSSP is a governmentowned company, which was established at the cost of billions of rupees in September 2014 when the PDA and erstwhile Peshawar Municipal Corporation failed to provide water and sanitation services to the people.

The notification states, `---the honourable Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been pleased to direct that supervision of water supply and sanitation of areas from University Town to Hayatabad, Pir Zakoori Bridge to Hayatabad via Ring Road, GT Road to Jamrud Road, may be taken over from WSSP and handed over to Peshawar Development Authority.

It added that the implementation of above directive of the chief minister might be ensured in letter and spirit and necessary instructions in this regard might be issued to all concerned.

Sources in the LG department said senior minister for local gov-ernment Inayatullah Khan was not part of the decision to retake some posh areas and main roads from the WSSP and hand them over to the PDA.

They said the chief minister had taken the decision on the joint complaint of several members of the provincial assembly from Peshawar.

The sources said MPAs had shown reservations about the performance of the WSSP during their meeting with the chief minister.

They said the LG minister had decided to convey his reservations to the chief minister in this regard.

When contacted, spokesman for the WSSP Taimur Ahmed Shah said he had heard about the development but no one had formally convoyed it to the organisation.

The sources said the MPAs, who had complained to the chief minister about the WSSP, actually wanted to have their voters recruited in the civic agency in violation of merit that were denied by the administration time and again.They insisted the lawmakers also interfered in the WSSP affairs.

The sources said the WSSP management would request the chief minister to immediately withdraw the notification as the areas to be shifted from the WSSP to the PDA were the main sources of its revenue generation.

They said if the decision was not withdrawn, then the WSSP could face financial crisis.

Of late, the Peshawar District Council had demanded that the provincial government immediately abolish the WSSP over its utter failure to deliver since establishment.

The treasury and opposition councillors had also walked out of the council session to protest the poor performance of the WSSP.

The enraged councillors alleged that the provincial government had established the sanitation company to accommodate own people for high salary and fringe benefits rather than provide good water and sanitation services to the people.