Sindh to establish special courts to adjudicate illegal construction cases

The Sindh government has decided to establish special courts in the province to expeditiously and effectively adjudicate the cases related to illegal constructions and violations of the building by-laws of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).

The information to this effect was given by Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah as he spoke at a press conference in the Sindh Assembly building on Thursday.

Shah informed media persons that 28 officers of the SBCA had been found involved in illegal constructions in the province.

He added that those officers had been suspended from their service and soon they would be arrested so that they could be prosecuted.

Briefing on coronavirus

The information minister said meetings of the task force on coronavirus were being held on a daily basis at the Chief Minister House.

He added that the CM was personally monitoring the situation related to the coronavirus in the province. People coming from abroad were being screened and those arriving from Taftan checked for the viral epidemic.

He maintained that coronavirus had not been spreading in the province and all the patients of the disease in Sindh had come from abroad.

Shah said that while other countries were making excellent arrangements to deal with the coronavirus threat but our prime minister had not yet called a single meeting on the issue.

Responding to a question, Shah said the government had taken strict action against those who were selling surgical masks at exorbitant rates.

Not everyone needed to wear a surgical mask, he said, adding that the use of ordinary soaps and sanitisers could be beneficial for the people. He stated that the screening of the incoming passengers at the airports was the responsibility of the federal government but the Sindh health department had also provided staff for the same purpose.

He said Saudi Arabia and other countries were following rigorous procedure of screening and people had to wait for several hours in these countries at the airports to get screened.

The information minister also appreciated the fact that many people were also offering surgical masks to the public as a safety precaution.

FPCCI meeting

Addressing a seminar as the chief guest at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Shah said the Sindh government was striving to provide all the facilities to the citizens of Karachi, similar to those available in other metropolises of the world.

He said work had been started for the restoration of the Karachi Circular Railway as per directions of the Supreme Court but the provincial government also needed the cooperation of the federal government in this regard.

He said the restoration of the KCR would reduce the traffic burden on roads and provide people with cheaper and better transport facilities.

The project would also be beneficial for the environment, he said.

In accordance with the vision of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, work on the urban forestry project had also been started in Karachi, the information minister said. He maintained that one of the largest urban forests of the world would soon be established along the Lyari River banks.

Shah told the FPCCI that strict action was being taken against illegal constructions and encroachments in Karachi. He also thanked the federation’s office-bearers for inviting him.