CM approves establishment of Sindh Safe City Authority, Sindh Forensic Commission

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved the proposals to establish the Sindh Safe City Authority and the provincial forensic commission. The two proposed projects had been hanging in the balance for some time.

The CM took approved the projects on Thursday while presiding over a meeting at the CM House.

Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Kaleem Imam informed the meeting that the feasibility study for the Sindh Safe City Project had been approved by the government for Rs10 million and the preparation of its PC-I was in progress. He added that the implementation of the project required immense efforts which would be started after the completion of its feasibility study.

The CM was told that there were 25,000 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at different locations in the city, which were being monitored through a command and control centre established at the IGP’s office.

It was pointed out that a scheme for Rs200 million had been launched to install 10,000 more CCTV cameras.

The safe city project was a huge project, the CM remarked, adding that the Sindh Safe City Authority should be established first to implement various components of the project, including the installation of CCTV cameras. He added that at present the project was being handled by the IT department of the provincial government and the IT wing of the police. He maintained that no departments, including the home department, had the required expertise to implement the project, for which an independent authority that had its own director general was needed.

Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah said a draft bill to establish the safe city authority had been presented in the Sindh cabinet which constituted a committee under Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh to review the draft law.

The committee suggested some changes in the law which would be presented in the next cabinet meeting for approval, the meeting was informed.

Sindh Forensic Commission

Home Secretary Kazi Kabir informed the CM that 30 acres of land had been acquired for the establishment of a forensic science lab in Deh Jorejio, Bin Qasim taluka, in Malir. The project would be completed in three years, he said.

The meeting was told that the proposed lab would offer various services pertaining to audio-visual analysis, computer forensic, crime scene and death scene investigations, DNA tests, forensic photography, narcotics, toxicology, trace chemistry, polygraph, fire arms and tool masks, latent finger prints, pathology and others.

The IGP said the Sindh police had already established forensic facilities in Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana where units for firearms, questioned documents, fingerprints, vehicle examination, digital forensic, specialised crime scene and mobile forensic were operational.

It was told that at present, a DNA serology facility in Sindh was available at Liaquat University Jamshoro. During the period of last four years, the lab analysed 1,000 cases, of which 60 per cent were received from Karachi and 33 per cent from other districts of Sindh and Balochistan.

It was also pointed out that another 30 acres of land was required for a forensic academy and another 30 acres for a hostel and a residential colony. Last year, the provincial government had released Rs220 million for the project.

The CM stressed the need for establishing the Sindh Forensic Commission so that it could launch and complete the forensic lab project. He directed the chief secretary to work out all the requirements for the establishment of the forensic commission and report them in the next cabinet meeting. The meeting was also attended by IT Minister Taimur Talpur, Planning and Development Board Chairperson Nahid Shah, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani, Karachi Additional IG Ghulam Nabi Memon and others.