Sindh cabinet gives go-ahead to launch decisive operation against dacoits in kutcha areas

The Sindh cabinet on Thursday decided to launch a decisive joint operation in the kutcha areas of the province to clear them of dacoits. The Sindh police would participate in the operation along with the police of Punjab and Balochistan as well as soldiers of the Rangers and Pakistan Army.

The cabinet authorised Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon to coordinate with his counterparts in Balochistan and Punjab so that the operation could be planned in the kutcha areas, for which an amount of Rs2.79 billion was approved for the procurement of sophisticated military-grade field and surveillance weapons.

The home department and IGP briefed the cabinet on the operation planned in the kutcha areas of Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab. The cabinet was told that sophisticated field weapons and surveillance equipment needed to be procured for a decisive operation against the bandits in the kutcha areas.

The police chief said the matter for the purchase of military grade weapons and surveillance systems was discussed at the 28th Provincial Apex Committee meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister on January 5, 2023.

IGP Memon explained that advanced weapons and surveillance system were required to control hardened criminals and gangs operating in the kutcha areas of Kashmore, Shikarpur and Ghotki who were equipped with sophisticated weapons.

The cabinet was told that funds amounting to Rs2.796 billion were required for the procurement of military-grade weapons to start the operation. The cabinet approved the proposal and sanctioned the amount of Rs2.7 billion for buying weapons and equipment. The home department was instructed to seek a no-objection certificate from the federal interior ministry for purchase of the said weapons.

IT-related cadres

The finance department told the cabinet that the government had already upgraded 3,871 IT-related government posts, but 3,264 posts from grade BPS-5 till BS-16 were yet to be upgraded.

The annual financial impact of the upgrade of the 3,264 IT-related posts amounted to Rs243.706 million. The cabinet approved the upgrade.

Coronavirus fund

The cabinet was told that the Coronavirus Emergency Fund was created on March 18, 2020, with the chief secretary as its head and the finance secretary, health secretary, Dr Abdul Bari, Faisal Edhi, and Mushtaq Chhapra as the members.

A total of 17 meetings of the committee were held since the creation of the fund. It was said that the committee had already recommended the closure of the Coronavirus Emergency Fund after clearing all the financial and legal formalities.

The cabinet approved closure of the fund and decided that the balance of Rs35,734,486 in the fund would be spent on the construction of houses for the flood-affected people.

Price control

In order to implement a price control mechanism during the coming holy month of Ramazan, the cabinet approved the conferment of powers of the inspector prices to the Bureau of Supply & Prices’s officers throughout the province.

The district administration has already been given such powers with the instruction to control the prices in their respective jurisdiction.