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Thursday March 28, 2024

Federal govt responsible for deaths in Karachi: Bilawal

Says Nawaz govt’s failure cause of loadshedding; Abid says deaths in Karachi reflect inefficiency of Sindh govt

By our correspondents
June 28, 2015
KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Saturday that the federal government was responsible for the deaths in Karachi due to the heatwave, and power loadshedding was the result of the failure of the Nawaz government.
He expressed these views during a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the Bilawal House on Saturday.He said if needed the Sindh government could convert and use the Expo Centre and marriage halls in the city into emergency relief centres for people suffering from heatstroke.
The CM informed the PPP chairman that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had established 40 emergency relief centres at different locations for providing necessary first-aid and medical attention to the people affected by heatstroke. Similarly, PPP activists, workers of all other political parties, and non-governmental organisations had established similar relief centres in the city and other parts of the province for treating cases of heatstroke.
The PPP chief appreciated the efforts of all the political parties and NGOs which had come forward to support the PPP’s provincial government in tackling the emergency created due to the excruciating weather conditions in the province.
Bilawal Zardari directed the Sindh CM to immediately contact the relevant authorities of the federal government and K-Electric so that the people of the province, including those of Karachi, could be provided due relief in the provision of electricity.The PPP chairman said that contacting the centre was important as far as power loadshedding in Sindh is concerned as electricity was a federal subject.
The CM briefed the party’s chief about steps being taken by his provincial government to cope with the electricity crisis and the loadshedding issue in the province. The meeting between the two discussed matters related to the deaths of over 1,100 people in the province due to the recent severe heatwave.
Meanwhile, Bilawal Zardari directed the Sindh government to launch a public awareness campaign and establish a helpline service immediately regarding the heatwave. The PPP chief chaired a meeting on the heatwave situation in the province at Bilawal House on Saturday.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Senior Minister for Finance and Energy Syed Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, Local Government Minister Sharjeel Memon, PDMA Adviser Ali Hassan Hingorjo and PDMA DG Salman Shah attended the meeting. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Senator Sherry Rahman and Jameel Soomro were also present on the occasion.
Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar briefed the PPP chairman about the heatwave response by the health ministry. He told the meeting that thousands of affected patients were being treated at different hospitals and also the treatment was continuing on a daily basis for incoming patients. Jam Mehtab told participants of the meeting that he had personally visited hospitals and monitored the facilities and treatment being provided to patients.
Our correspondent from Faisalabad adds: Minister of State for Water and Power Ch Abid Sher Ali said that the over 1,100 deaths in Karachi due to the severe heat and shutdown was very regrettable and K-Electric and the Sindh government were solely responsible for the tragedy.
He said instead of consoling with the affected families, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari flew abroad. He said that the tragedy occurred in Karachi due to the failure of the Sindh Health Department which failed to provide medical assistance to the heatstroke victims by declaring an emergency in Karachi hospitals.
The minister expressed his concern over PTI leader Imran Khan’s trip to London during the heat wave where he might prepare another “London Plan” to grab power through undemocratic means. Abid Sher Ali said that no increase in electricity prices had been made. He said consumers using up to 200 units of power were still being subsidised.
He thanked the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak for helping the Ministry of Water and Power to recover outstanding amounts of electricity bills. He categorically denied that there was any loadshedding in Swabi, Mardan, Swat and Malakand. He said power theft was a big curse and the main cause of loadshedding.
He visited Ramazan bazaars set up in different localities of the city. MPA Mian Tahir Jamil, DCO Noorul Amin Mengal, PHA Vice Chairman Muhammad Akbar Gori and others were also present on the occasion. He visited the complaint cell and checked the complaint register and directed the duty staff to take immediate action for the redress of complaints of people.