Sindh to buy 89 fire engines for civic bodies, says CM Murad Ali Shah

Sindh’s chief minister has directed the local government department to expedite the process for procuring fire engines, snorkels, garbage trucks, trash compactors and tractor trolleys for the local bodies of the province.

CM Syed Murad Ali Shah issued these directives during a meeting on Saturday. The provincial administration has decided to provide snorkels to all the divisional headquarters, and fire engines, garbage trucks, trash compactors and tractors trolleys to the municipal committees and towns.

A proposal has been floated to purchase 89 fire engines, 15 snorkels and a large number of garbage trucks, trash compactors and tractor trolleys for around Rs4 billion. For the ongoing financial year Rs1.5 billion have been allocated.

The snorkels will be provided to the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the Qasimabad Municipal Committee, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Larkana.

These divisional headquarters, except Qasimabad, have no snorkel to extinguish fires in high-rises. Out of the 89 fire engines, 15 will be provided to Karachi, 10 to Hyderabad, eight to Larkana, six to Shaheed Benazirabad, four to Qasimabad and the rest to others cities. Similarly, garbage trucks, trash compactors and tractor trolleys will be provided to the town and municipal committees.

The chief executive directed LG Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah to revise the list of the municipal committees and towns so that the largest in terms of population and works can be provided fire engines on a priority basis in the first phase and the remaining bodies in the second.

CM Shah also directed the LG department to issue strict directives to all the local bodies operating across the province, including in the rural areas, to ensure proper cleanliness of their respective roads and streets as well as to maintain their sanitation system.

GIS for forests

The LG minister, who also holds the portfolio of forests, informed the meeting that he has devised a plan to develop a geographic information system (GIS) covering all the forests of the province.

The chief executive said that the Board of Revenue’s automation unit has the technology, and advised the LG minister to involve the board in the GIS plan.

CM Shah said that through GIS, the provincial government will be able to monitor all the activities in the forests, and even detect that if those who have been given forest land are complying with the conditions of the allotment.

The CM said that the time has come to take the maximum benefit from the latest technology not only for forests but also for the taxation system. The meeting decided to invite international tenders.