Garbage-lifting politics has turned dirtier than garbage itself, says CM

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the PPP government is “working with heart and soul” in Karachi to resolve the problems of garbage-lifting and improve the sewerage system despite the fact that we [the PPP] have no local mandate in the city.

“The people of this city have given mandate to the MQM, but the MQM and their partners [PTI] instead of redressing public problems are fighting like wrestlers in the ring. This kind of politics where filthy language is used for the lifting of filth is unprecedented,” he said while talking to a delegation of the Karachi Industrial Forum (KIF).

The delegation included Zain Bashir, president of LATI; Khursheed Ahmed, president of FBATI, Saleem Parekh, president of SITE, and Mohammad Ilyas, president of BQATI. Minister for Labour Saeed Ghani, Minister for Local Government Nasir Shah, Minister for Industries Ikram Dharejo, Adviser to CM Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahalwani and other officers were also present in the meeting.

The chief minister said that he had given special focus to the development of the city. “We have constructed flyovers, underpasses and reconstructed the roads with drainage system. Even then MQM friends were levelling the baseless allegation that we have not given ownership to this city,” he lamented and said he was born in Karachi and had given much more ownership to Karachi than anybody else.

Shah said that he was striving hard to construct the K-IV project but due to technical reasons the project was going to be late. “We are working on its technical aspects and would resolve them to complete the project.”

The KIF delegation complained that the water charges had been increased by 29 percent, which was unfair with the industrialists. At this, Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said that from 2017 water charges had not been increased. He added that as per the law, the water board was empowered to increase water charges every year by nine percent.

The chief minister directed Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah to hold a meeting with the KIF delegation and resolve their issues on a top priority basis. “The PPP government in Sindh is working for the establishment of new industrial states and improvement of the infrastructure of the existing ones; therefore, we have to provide them maximum facilities and avoid to exert more financial pressures on their business,” the chief minister said and directed the local government minister to accommodate the KIF people.

The meeting decided that desalination plants would be established in the city so that water could be provided to the industrialists. At this, Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah said that he held a number of meetings with desalination experts and a firm in Dubai last week. He added that his visit was purely based on brining desalination firm to Karachi so that water issues of the city, domestic and industrial, could be resolved.

The KIF delegation also raised the issue of charges on sub-soil water and requested the chief minister to withdrawn the decision. At this, the chief minister said that the local government minister would resolve all their issues in a meeting with him.

The chief minister said that he had activated the Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority and had also involved the district administration in the garbage-lifting work. He said he was going to involve the district administration to start fumigation in the city.

Focus on KWSB

The chief minister said that the KWSB was an overstaffed organization; therefore, the funds they were generating were being utilised on the payment of salaries and pensions. The provincial government in collaboration with the World Bank was going to restructure the board so that it could be made a viable, efficient and effective organisation.

The industrialists said that the water board had 156 pumping stations in the city and they should install meters there so that they could make proper billing. They said that at present the recoveries of the KWSB were not so good. The chief minister said that the water board would become one of the best organisations when the World Bank’s restructuring project was started.

He said that the performance of the water board during heavy rains remained commendable, they did good job and he had directed the MD water to improve sewerage system of the city. The KIF thanked the chief minister for his support in resolving their issues.