Ghani rejects claim of exaggerated offal removal figure

Sindh’s local government minister has rejected the claim of opposition political parties that the provincial government’s figure of offal removal was exaggerated, and reiterated that 41,980 tonnes of sacrificial animal remains were lifted and disposed of by Karachi’s municipal agencies during the three days of Eidul Azha.

Addressing a news conference at the media cell of the Pakistan Peoples Party on Saturday, Saeed Ghani said that around a million animals were sacrificed this Eidul Azha across the metropolis in the areas that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the different cantonment boards.

Ghani said that according to the results of the latest population census, Karachi comprises about three million families. “Some 33 per cent of the families living in the city sacrificed animals this time, and the number of animals whose offal we lifted corresponds to this estimate.”

He said that those with objections over the government’s figure should object to similar statistics of other cities. He added that some 44,000 tonnes of remains were lifted in Lahore, so it is implausible that around 66 per cent of the families living in Pakistan’s second largest city sacrificed animals.

The minister said that in Peshawar around 9,500 tonnes of remains were allegedly disposed of, meaning that up to 97 per cent of the families living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital sacrificed animals.

“According to [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Karachi chief] Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the city’s people sacrificed fewer animals than the offal lifted. So, instead of questioning our very plausible figure, he should challenge the number of Peshawar.”

Ghani advised the leaders of the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that instead of embroiling themselves in an undue controversy, they should at least check with the Central District Municipal Corporation (DMC) chairman, who is affiliated with their own party.

The minister said that according to the figure provided by the Central DMC, some 437,000 animals were sacrificed in District Central alone. He asked MQM leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan to inquire about it from his party’s local government representatives.

Ghani thanked the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, chairmen of the different DMCs, the Karachi District Council, other municipal agencies and local government employees for their respective roles in the operation to lift and dispose of offal and other remains of sacrificial animals.

He claimed that barring a few areas, the operation had been completed. He said that there were a few complaints regarding the clean-up operation, but the overall sanitary situation remained promising and would be improved further.

A day earlier, Ghani had claimed that the sanitary conditions in Karachi during the three days of Eidul Azha were much better than that of other cities of Sindh.

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, he said that over 40,000 tonnes of offal and other remains were 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 said that planning for better offal disposal would start following this Eid. He added that a massive sum was spent on the operation to dispose of offal of sacrificial animals, and 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. He directed Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Health Director Rafique Rajput to get the streets cleaned by the evening.