Sindh govt to finally set up heatstroke centres

Karachi
After more than 1,200 people in Karachi and dozens in Sindh perished due to the prevailing heatwave, the Sindh government on Monday finally decided to set up heatstroke centres in every district of the province.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held under the supervision of Sindh minister for information and local government Sharjeel Inam Memon and was attended by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s administrator Roshan Shaikh, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s managing director Hashim Raza Zaidi and other officials.
On the occasion, fateha was offered for the people who died in heatstroke and the minister informed the officials that he would pay regular visits to the centres to personally monitor their efficiency.
He instructed to continue with the free water tanker service and said it would be ensured that water is provided to deserving people, mosques and hospitals and action was taken against the tanker mafia if they were found involved in fleecing customers.
He directed Zaidi to negotiate with the tankers’ associations and chalk out a plan for smooth supply of water to the people.
On the occasion, it was also decided that action will be taken against former town and district nazims and other municipal officers if they were found involved in land grabbing, especially that of amenity plots.
The minister directed the KMC Administrator to refer to the legal authorities concerned if he came across any cases of land grabbing.
The meeting was also informed that 56,000 KMC employees and all six district municipal corporations had opened their salary accounts in the Sindh Bank. It was said that salary will only be disbursed through the Sindh Bank and if the employees hadn’t opened their accounts then they would not get paid.
The minister clarified that this move had been made to siphon out ghost employees from BPS-1 till BPS-19. He said all employees who do not report to work will be eventually be terminated.
The minister said that he would regularly visit the affected areas of the city to monitor the cleanliness, municipal and other civic facilities there and action would be taken against officials responsible for observing negligence in this regard.