Sindh govt to bear treatment expenses of Surjani boys who lost both hands: CM

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over second cabinet meeting of his second tenure on Monday, directed health department to make necessary arrangements for the treatment of two boys who lost their arms and hands when high tension wires fell on them.

The chief minister said that the incident of Umar, 8, of Ahsanabad and Haris, 9 of Surjani Town are extremely painful.

“I want to rehabilitate them at any cost and the provincial government would bear all their treatment expenses wherever it is possible,” he said. He directed Secretary Health Dr Usman Chachar to talk to the experts/doctors and give them the reports of the children so that they could be rehabilitated and returned to normal life.

The chief minister said that arrangements may also be made to fix them artificial limbs and “I don’t know how it would be done but just I want it to be done at any cost,” he directed Secretary Health and also asked him to keep him sending day to day reports.

The cabinet also took up the issue of overhead cables hanging everywhere in the city. The chief minister on the recommendation of the cabinet constituted a committee under Secretary Local Government to talk to the concerned quarters to remove all overhead cables of internet, telephone, TV cables and such others.

“These cables are not only defacing the beauty of the city but also creating nuisance, some time they fall on vehicles and sometimes on the road,” the chief minister said and directed local government secretary to seek help from the Commissioner Karachi and get these cables removed.

The cabinet gave task to Secretary Local government Khalid Hyder Shah to talk to all the concerned cable owners and agencies and give them time to remove overhead cables and make them underground.

The cabinet also expressed serious reservation on the beggars roaming around along with their small children and begging on all the important stops, signals, places. “This is unacceptable and we cannot allow small children to start their life as beggar,” the chief minister said and added that strict measures must be taken to control this social evil. CM Advisor Murtaza Wahab said that nobody knows whose children the beggars were roaming here there.

The cabinet sought a detailed report on the issue and decided to remove beggars from the city. The traffic police, district administration and social welfare department would jointly work to eliminate beggar mafia from the city.

The law department presented an item under which it recommended to ban on polythene and plastic bags. The CM Advisor on Law, Murtaza Wahab said that environment and climate change are one of the most serious issues being faced by the country, therefore strict enforcement of law for developing environment friendly society.

The chief minister directed law department to present this item in the next cabinet alongwith detailed study and consultation with all the stakeholders.

Health Department presented an item to seek exemption from the cabinet for procurement of medicines from the already released funds at the approved rate of last tender of Central Conract system. Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho said that a similar exeption was also required for Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences, Sehwan.

Dr Pechuho said that in 1991 all departments were authorized to make purchases at their own level. She added that in 2001-2 all districts were authorized for procurement at their own, however, for provincially managed institutions (teaching/major hospitals) procurement was centralized by health department.

In 2007, all institutions, teaching/major hospitals and district health facilities were authorized to make purchase at their own level. In 2014-15 due to disparity of rates among the institutions/districts, the procurement was centralized under Central Rate Contract system for all health institutes/hospitals, including projects.

It may be noted that 85 percent medicines are procured under central rate contract system and 15 percent under local purchase. The health minister requested the cabinet to allow permission for procurement of drugs/medicines from the released budget at rate fixed by Central Contract of 2017-18 and also provide exemption under Sindh Public Procurement Rules.

The cabinet approved the exemption and directed the health department not to seek similar exemption again.

The Finance department gave a detailed presentation and requested the cabinet to approve appoint of new CEO/President of Sindh Bank Ltd. ACS Finance Noor Alam said that the board of directors of the bank had conducted interviews for the position on January 22, 2018 and selected four candidates for the position. The cabinet approved the appointment of Mr Tariq Ahsan who was on the top in the list.

The SRB took up an item of exemption of Sindh Sales Tax on the services provided or rendered in relation to the donations made for Diamer Bhasha & Mohmand dams funds. The cabinet approved the exemption.

The law department presented amendment in the code of civil procedure, 1908 (Act No.V of 1908). In the amendment insertion in section 2, Code of Civil Procedure Code has been made under which definitions and provision of `Alternate Dispute Resolution, conciliation, mediation have been provided.

The Transport department proposed conversion/utilization of amenity plots for Mass Transit project.

Under the conversion of amenity plot, the Transport department sought specific utilization of two amenity plots, ST-11, Sector 4, Surjani Town and KGA ground near Numaish Karachi where infrastructure for Mass Trasnit project would be made. The cabinet directed transport department to put up the agenda in the next cabinet meeting and submit all the details, rules and regulations under which it wanted to convert the plots.

The Home department on the recommendation of Sindh High Court presented the names of Mr Rashid Mustafa Solangi and Ghulam Mustafa A. Memon for their appointment as judges of Anti-Terrorism Courts No. XVA, Karachi and Court No. II at Central Prison Hyderabad respectively. The cabinet approved the appointments.