KARACHI: The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has said some people are planning to stage a sit-in at the CM House against the prevailing load-shedding and water shortage. “You have every right to protest, but “I would invite all the political parties to stage a sit- in in front of the Prime Minister House and I’ll also join you,” he said.
Murad Ali Shah was addressing a press conference at his Sindh Assembly chamber on Thursday. He charged the PML-N-led federal government of crushing Sindh and its people which is their “political agenda.” He said the federal government is penalising the people of Sindh with prolonged load-shedding, water shortage for Rabi crops and inadequate release of federal transfers due to which not only the day-to-day life has been badly affected but agro- Industrial economy is also crippling.
Taking up prolonged loadshedding, the chief minister said that he wrote twice to the prime minister and also talked to him on telephone for at least six times to draw his attention towards the SSGC and K-Electric dispute which has caused over 12- hour load-shedding in the city. He said the prime minister told him that he had called both the SSGC and the KE. “I was relaxed into believing that the matter would be resolved but the prime minister instead of listening and directing both the parties, directed Federal Advisor on Finance Miftah Ismail to resolve the dispute.” He said when he called Ismail on his cell phone he was out of the country.
Murad Ali Shah said the SSGC claims that an outstanding amount of Rs 29 billion is due against the KE due to which the gas supply has been reduced to 90 mmcfd causing a 12 hour load shedding. The chief minister said when the SSGC claim was audited it was found that out of the total, only Rs13 billion is the principal amount, and the remaining is late payment and interest.
He said the KE is ready to clear the arrears in instalments, while paying in full for the current amount of gas to be suppled. Now, the court has also directed the SSGC to supply 276 mmcfd gas to KE. He said the power outage also affects the water supply. Addressing the federal government, the chief minister said “It is your dispute, you get it settled. Why are you persecuting the people of Karachi." The federal government has 73 percent shares in SSGC, while it has 24 percent stake in the KE, he said,
Talking about load shedding in rural areas, the chief minister said at an average 16 hour load shedding is occuring in Shaheed Benazirabad, 14 hours in Sukkur, 12 hours in Mirpurkhas, 16 hours in Larkana, 14 hours in Hyderabad, 18 hours in his home town of distt Jamshoro. “The federal government is persecuting the people of Sindh only because they have been voting for PPP since 1970s,” he said.
About the shortfall in federal transfers, Murad said the federal government needs to pay an additional Rs94 billion to Sindh. “The shortage of funds has forced him to slash the development expenditure “ because we can’t reduce the salaries,” he said. He said it is the inefficiency of the federal government that it could not achieve its tax recovery target. He said the Sindh Revenue Board, Excise and Taxation would achieve their recovery target, he vowed.
Venting his frustration over shortage of irrigation water for the Rabi season, the chief minister said while the IRSA had initially conveyed of 20 percent water shortages, they slashed Sindh's water share by 36 percent. “I don’t know if it is shortage or theft,” he remarked.
About NAB's raid at the Local Government department, Murad Ali Shah said he would never create bottle necks in curbing corruption but there should be a decent legal system. “ Some 17 or 18 grade officers raided the office of a grade 20 secretary Local Government, snatched his cell phone, insulted him and took away the files while detaining his secretary. “When the chief secretary talked to the DG NAB,” the latter apologised and assured him of returning all the belongings, but despite that nothing has been returned.
Terming the accountability mechanism flawed and discriminatory, the chief minister said while the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was allowed to visit London despite NAB's request to put his name on the Exit Control List, the name of Sharjeel Memon was put on the ECL even when he was out of the country and was also arrested despite bail orders.