The sanitary conditions in Karachi during the three days of Eidul Azha were much better than that of other cities of Sindh, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani claimed on Friday.
Talking to the media on a visit to the Jam Chakro landfill site in the city’s outskirts where offal and other remains of sacrificial animals were dumped and disposed of, Ghani said that over 40,000 tonnes of offal and other remains was lifted by the municipal agencies.
The minister said the municipal agencies had collected offal and other remains of around 980,000 animals sacrificed during Eid. He appreciated the services rendered by the employees of different municipal agencies regarding the disposal of the remains of the sacrificial animals.
He also appreciated the services rendered by the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, which is responsible for offal disposal in four of the six Karachi districts, and the city mayor.
Ghani said that planning for better offal disposal would start following this Eid. He said that a massive sum was spent on the operation to dispose of offal of sacrificial animals, adding that a week-long clean-up drive would be observed across the province.
During the three days of Eid, the minister toured several parts of Karachi and also visited Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas to personally inspect and supervise the operation being carried out by the municipal agencies to lift and dispose of the remains of sacrificial animals.
Ghani had expressed anger over heaps of offal and other remains lying in different parts of Hyderabad on the second day of Eid, reported Geo News. He directed Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Health Director Rafique Rajput to get the streets cleaned by the evening.
Talking to the media there, Ghani said action would be initiated against the authorities if Hyderabad’s streets were not properly cleaned of offal and other remains that are often abandoned after the slaughtering of sacrificial animals.
He said that work often starts and is expedited only when there are reports of a minister’s visit. Regarding other issues faced by the cities of the province, he said the problem of access to potable water also persists, adding that farmers do not get clean drinking water in the rural areas.
He said that solving all the problems is not possible within the span of five years, but he would work on improving the entire system, especially Sindh’s transportation system.
Mayor’s inspection
Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar visited the Central, Korangi, West and South districts of the metropolis and inspected the offal removal and disposal operation.
A statement quoted him as saying that timely lifting and disposal of offal of sacrificial animals during Eid is necessary.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) helped the district municipal corporations (DMCs) in their offal removal operation on all three days of Eid, he said, adding that all the relevant organisations performed this operation.
Akhtar said the chairmen of the DMCs were also contacted on a regular basis to ensure swift working and better coordination. He claimed that this time round the situation was much better as compared to the past. Around a million animals were sacrificed during the three days of Eid, he said.
During the mayor’s visit, he was accompanied by chairmen Rehan Hashmi, Nayyar Raza and Izhar Ahmed Khan as well as other elected representatives and officers.
Mayor Akhtar said that sacrifice of animals was done in large numbers in Karachi, while in some places arrangements for joint sacrifices were made and it was mandatory to clean all such places.
The mayor, along with KMC officers, also visited the Eid emergency centres of different districts of Karachi and reviewed the arrangements for the lifting of offal.
He also went to the Jam Chakro landfill site and reviewed the arrangements for the burial of offal that were removed from all the other areas of the city during the three days of Eid.
He said Karachi’s population has been increasing rapidly and has affected the city’s resources, including the offal removal works carried out in the densely populated areas of the city.
Meanwhile, South DMC Chairman Malik Muhammad Faiyaz claimed that efficient execution of the action plan developed for Eid helped in the prompt lifting and removal of offal and other remains.
Reviewing the operation at the Gond Pass on Friday evening, he appreciated the sense of responsibility of the public representatives, DMC workers and citizens in helping acquire the targets set under the action plan.
The district mainly comprising the oldest as well as the most congested localities in the metropolis poses the challenge of accessibility, yet the relevant staff managed the offal lifting process from the doorsteps of the people without any unnecessary delay, he said.
Under the action plan, collection points were set up in numerous areas of Saddar and Lyari zones, comprising Kakri Ground, Qismat Cinema, Mashamli Road, Urdu Bazaar, Habib Bank Plaza, Glass Tower, Boat Basin, Fawara Chowk Garden, Khadda Market, Picture Road, Mirza Adam Khan Road, Rahat Hotel, Rabbani Masjid and Chakiwara Nadra office.
The sanitary staff of the South DMC managed to collect offal through trolleys in the congested localities, while motorised vans manned by the sanitary staff kept patrolling to ensure prompt removal of offal and other remains.
