HYDERABAD  -  Managing Director of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Zahid Khemtio has made his approval man­datory for all new water supply and drainage con­nections for all types of consumers. The spokesman of Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), which is parent organization of WASA, Nadeem Yousuf in­formed here on Sunday that the MD’s No Objection Certificate (NOC) would also be required for chang­ing bore of water and for repair and maintenance works on existing connections. According to him, the rule would also apply on the connections given to the departments of the federal, provincial and lo­cal governments as well as on the bulk, commercial, industrial and domestic consumers. He said the MD had taken a strong notice of the irregularities being committed by the subordinate officials in WASA in the process of issuing the NOC. The spokesman add­ed that all the executive engineers, assistant execu­tive engineers, manager commercial, deputy manag­ers commercial, taxation officer, assistant taxation officers and supervisors had been warned by the MD in that regard. He apprised that the officials had been cautioned that any approval given without obtaining NOC from his office would be considered connivance in water theft and which would entail disciplinary action against the officials. The MD had also warned the officials that he would not accept any excuse if his new directives were overlooked, he added.