Those responsible for heatwave deaths to face action, says PM

KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said the institutions which showed negligence in tackling the recent heatwave crisis in Sindh, which caused many casualities, should be held accountable on an urgent basis.
The prime minister stated this while chairing a top-level meeting here at the Sindh Chief Minister’s House to review the situation following the large number of deaths in Karachi and other parts of the province due to an unprecedented heatwave that coincided with the onset of the holy month of Ramazan.
The PM said on the occasion that the recent heatwave was unprecedented in the country’s history and had led to the creation of an abnormal situation. He said the Sindh chief minister should conduct an inquiry in this regard on an urgent basis and compile a comprehensive investigation report to fix responsibility on the persons and institutions showing slackness so that strict action could be taken against them.
Nawaz Sharif was of the view that all the relevant institutions were fully accountable over the casualities in Karachi. He said that an investigation should be held on a transparent basis in this regard.
The prime minister expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of a large number of lives in Karachi and said that the entire country stood with the bereaved families and expressed condolences with them.
The prime minister reached Karachi on a one-day visit on Wednesday to meet senior provincial authorities, government officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations to discuss the recent heatwave and the related power crisis in Sindh, especially the conduct of K-Electric in Karachi. The PM, along with federal ministers, held separate meetings on the ongoing and new mega development projects in Sindh and also on relations between the Sindh and federal governments.
The PM was supposed to visit the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi to inquire after the patients admitted there due to heatstroke and to interact with the hospital administration and doctors there. But he cut short his visit and left for the airport from the CM House.
The meeting to review the situation in the aftermath of the recent heatwave in the province was attended among others by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Federal Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan, State Minister Saira Afzal Tarar, Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Sindh Chief Secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon and others.
The prime minister emphasized that there should be a system of coordination on a composite basis among the federal and provincial governments, rescue and relief organisations and national and provincial disaster management authorities for tackling any event or situation of natural disaster or emergency. He said the organisations entrusted with tackling any emergency situation should be equipped with the best resources as per the need of the time. In this regard, the concerned federal and provincial governments had to adopt a collective strategy.
The prime minister directed the Sindh government that itentire Sindh. In this regard, medical and health emergency services of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Civil Hospital and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases should also be extended for catering to a greater number of patients from the entire province. In this regard, federal government would extend utmost cooperation to Sindh govt.
Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah informed the meeting that Karachi alone had witnessed deaths of over 1,250 persons due to recent heatwave while 65,000 people had been given medical treatment at different hospitals in the city.
Sindh CM thanked prime minister for taking personal interest in resolution of problems being faced by the people of the province.Sindh Finance and Energy Murad Ali Shah reportedly complained to the PM at the meeting that Hyderabad Electric Supply Company and Sukkur Electric Power Company under federal government’s control had not been extending due cooperation to Sindh govt.
The PM said the Ministry of Water and Power would be issued direction to devise schedule of power loadshedding in consultation with Sindh government.The prime minister also directed the CM to collect complete statistics regarding death of people due to recent heatwave so that a comprehensive policy should be adopted for affected families. Nawaz Sharif also directed chairman of National Disaster Management Authority to continue rescue and relief services in Karachi till complete resolution of undesirable situation here.
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned that Greater Karachi Bulk Water Scheme K-IV Scheme should be completed within next two years. The prime minister issued directives to this effect as he chaired a meeting here at Sindh Chief Minister House to review state of mega development projects in Sindh.
The prime minister was given detailed briefing on the occasion on proposed K-IV water supply scheme, S-III sewerage treatment project, and Green Line Bus Rapid Transit Service (BRTS) in Karachi.
The PM said that a monitoring committee comprising authorities of Sindh and federal governments should be constituted for ensuring transparency of the proposed K-IV bulk water supply project in Karachi. He said the federal and Sindh governments would forge cooperation for completion of K-IV project.
The prime minister said at the meeting that federal government could provide grant of up to Rs10 billion for building and completion of K-IV project. The PM said the proposed S-III sewerage treatment scheme should also be built in Karachi.
The PM said that Green Line project of BRTS would be a gift of federal government for people of Karachi. Nawaz Sharif said that development of Karachi meant development of Pakistan. He said that federal government would provide utmost cooperation for provision of latest facilities and resolution of civic problems for residents of Karachi.
Sindh Chief Secretary Siddique Memon giving presentation to the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on K-IV said that the present approved quota of water for Karachi from Keenjhar Lake (Indus River) was 1200 MGD.
He said K-IV project planned for 650MGD or 1,200 cusecs and was scheduled to be completed in three phases. “In the first phase 260MGD supply would be completed by 2018, second phase of 260MGD would be completed by end of June 2022 and in the third phase 130MGD scheme to be completed by the end of 2025,” he said.
On this the prime minister asked the chief minister why he was waiting to complete the phase one by the end of 2018. “Shah sb (CM) I will give you funds and you try to arrange funds at your end and let us complete it within two years”.
The chief minister thanked prime minister and said that the Sindh government had already arranged Rs5 billion and they would arrange more funds. On this the prime minister assured the chief minister that he would arrange Rs10 billion for the project so that it could be completed in time.
The prime minister also said that Rs25.55177 billion cost of the project was very high. He directed the chief minister to make the cost reasonable because its cost in 2007 was Rs9 billion. The chief minister assured the prime minister that he would look into the matter personally.
The prime minister directed the chief secretary to complete the consultancy of the project within six months. “Like Shah sahab (chief minister) I am also keen to provide water to the people of Karachi at the earliest,” he said.
The head of the BRTS project Taha Farooqi briefing the prime minister said that the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) Green Line was a gift of prime minister for the people of Karachi.
He said it was Rs16.085 billion project and its topographical survey, inception report preliminary alignment, soil investigation and EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment study) had been completed.
Farooqi said that the length of BRT Green Line spread over 17.8 kilometers, of which 3.45 kilometers would be elevated and it would have 22 stations. Over 300,000 people would travel per day.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the chief minister that he had released Rs8 billion for the project which was about 50 percent of the total cost.Prime Minister directed Taha Farooqui to complete the project within time.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also constituted a three-member ministerial committee for resolution to issues between federal and Sindh governments. The committee would comprise Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch, Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif.