CM Sindh orders LBs to drain out gutter/rain water from entire city in 48 hours

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a meeting regarding cleaning of Karachi, has given 48 hours to all local bodies and district administration to drain out water from each and every street of the city and report to him.

This is the first task and the second task would be improvement of drainage system of the city while the third one would be improvement of the roads and areas where Moharram Majalis and jaloos would be held.

The meeting was attended by Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, Minister Katchi Abadies Murtaza Baloch, CM Advisor Murtaz Wahab, Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahlwani, Administrator DHA Brigadier Ibrar Hussain, MD KDA Dr Badar Jameel Mendhro, MD Water Board, Asadullah Khan, MD Sindh Solid Waste Management, MC KMC, chairmen of all DMCs, municipal commissioners of all DMCs, administrators of all five cantonment boards, all deputy commissioners of Karachi and other relevant officers.

In the meeting, it was pointed out that during heavy rains everyone worked, including the chief minister, the minister LG, mayor, DMCs and administration but it was not a coordinated effort. As a result, either the work was done in duplication or left unattended on the assumptions that someone else would do it. At this the chief minister said either the issues were resolved or multiplied.

The chief minister directed Minister Local Government to hold a coordination meeting every fortnight in which all elected representatives, including the Mayor, the chairmen of DMCs, the chairman of District Councils, SBCA, Sindh Solid Waste Management and representatives of the cantonment board may be called to raise their issues of their respective organisations and resolve them in a coordinated way.

The chief minister said that he would personally visit the areas during next 48 hours to see what was happening in the different districts and what problems were being faced by the people.

“This may be considered as top priority to remove rain or sewerage water from the streets and roads to provide relief to the people of this city,” he said.

The Chairmen DMCs pointed out that they were facing shortage of funds, therefore all DMCs have liabilities of the salaries or pensions and of the development works.

At this, the chief minister said that provincial government was facing financial cringe due to shortfall in federal revenue transfers. “Despite serious crisis I have tried my best to provide funds to the local bodies,” he said and added the local bodies would have to generate their own resources and reduce non-development expenditures by making required financial management. He said that he would be providing more funds to the local bodies.

In the meeting, most of the participants pointed out declining performance of the Sindh Solid Waste Mangement Authority (SSWMA) and said that it had no staff and has borrowed officers from departments. The chief minister said that they must hire professionals from the market for better performance.

The chief minister directed Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah to improve the performance of SSWMA, otherwise he would return garbage lifting and door to door collection of trash back to the DMCs.

“SSWMA has to improve its performance otherwise I may be hard and harsh in my decisions,” he said.

It was pointed out in the meeting that the DMCs have no designated Garabage Transfer stations. Therefore, the chief minister directed Chairmen of the DMCs and DCs to point out land in every district so that GTS could be established, otherwise the disposing of the garbage at open spaces would break out epidemics.

The chief minister directed Mayor Karachi and DMCs to start fumigation in the city. AT this Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar said that he has provided 48 vehicles to the DMCs for fumigation. “I have no funds for purchasing medicine even then arrange it and have provided to the local bodies,” he said.

The Mayor pointed out the drainage system in the city has no capacity to cater to the requirement of the population, therefore all the gutters were gushing out sewerage water on to the roads. The chief minister said that he would hold another meeting with Mayor, DMC chairmen, cantonment boards and KWSB to work out a detailed plan for upgradation and reconstruction of the sewerage system. “I know this city needs a new and modern drainage system for which he was working with World Bank,” he said and added his government would do it on its own.