Sindh Cabinet approves Rs500m for cleaning 41 major drains in Karachi

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet, in its around five-hour-long session on Tuesday, condemned the letter written by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to the Sindh government to seek domicile-wise details of its employees from Grade BS-1 to BS-22 and termed the letter ‘politically-motivated’ written at the behest of Shahzad Akbar (PM’s Adviser on Accountability). The cabinet resolved that the information sought by the NAB was beyond its mandate, therefore, demanded the chairman NAB to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at the CM House. It was attended by the provincial ministers, advisers, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Chairman Planning & Development Board Sindh M Waseem and concerned provincial secretaries. The issue of NAB letter was taken up in the meeting as it was termed a politically-motivated move by PM’s aide Shahzad Akbar and the NAB authorities. While transgressing their legal limits, they wrote the letter to the Sindh government. The cabinet demanded the NAB chairman to conduct an inquiry into the matter and take actions accordingly.

The School education department presented draft rules for Sindh Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Act-2016. Under the rules, no child or student in any educational institution, including Madaris, shall be harmed physically, mentally or emotionally or harassed or abused sexually by any person employed in the institution. The institution shall ensure the protection and safety of the child as it shall take all possible measures to protect and prevent a child from corporal and physical punishment. Under the rules, the educational institutions will have to constitute Child Protection Committees comprising headmaster or administrator of madarsa, one member each of administration, parent or guardian with the assignment to receive, record and investigate all complaints regarding allegations. The committee shall, in case of severe child abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect, immediately inform the police, the district coordination committee, child helpline 1121 or relevant Child Protection Officer. Any person who abets, attempts, incites, assists or directs any person to commit the acts prohibited under the law shall be liable to the severe punishment defined in the law.

The Agriculture Department requested the cabinet for a grant of over Rs749 million to clear the outstanding pension-related benefits of Rs410.838 million and Rs338.029 million for payment of related arrears for the employees of market committees. The cabinet observed that the market committee and such other institutions like KMC, KDA and other development authorities have failed to protect their retired employees in terms of payment of their pensions or gratuity. They should have established pension funds to secure their retirement benefits, but this has not been done. The CM, on the advice of the cabinet, approved a loan of Rs749 million to clear the pensions of market committees’ retired employees and asked the department to sell the property/assets to clear the government loan in this regard.

The provincial cabinet approved allotment of four acres of land in Deh Kohistan, Taluka Kambar, District Shahdadkot to the The Zayed Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation, Abu Dhabi, for establishment of 20-bed state-the-of-art hospital and one high school building with a playground. The deputy commissioner Kambar-Shahdadkot had fixed the price of land at Rs350,000 per acre but the cabinet approved to allot it free of cost. The CM directed the BoR to issue an allotment order within 24 hours.

The Forest Department told the cabinet that cultivation of agricultural crops on forest lands was misuse of the lands under The Forest Act 1927. The forest policy 2004 has already been cancelled by the government in 2019. Forest Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that the ex-lease holders and encroachers were not vacating the forest lands. He added that under the ongoing encroachment removal operation, 39,275 acres have been vacated and around 200,000 acres were yet to be vacated. The department suggested amendment in Section 26 and 63 of the Forest Act. Under the amendment in Section 26, the offence of encroachment on forest land would be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to 14 years but would not be less than seven years. In Section 63, fine has been enhanced to 500,000.

The local government department told the cabinet that there are 41 major drains of KMC and DMCs in the city. Their cleaning was due and the monsoon season was approaching fast. The cabinet approved Rs500 million for the purpose. The chief minister directed Secretary Finance to immediately release Rs250 million so that work could be started, and the remaining funds would be released shortly.

The Social Welfare department presented Sindh Senior Citizens Welfare Rules-2021 in the cabinet. The senior citizens would be issued an Azadi card for providing them with essential services and benefits. There would be senior citizens lodgings being the homes for physical, mental, emotional, social and economic well-being of senior citizens. The senior citizens would be entitled to have 25 percent concession at all private hospitals. They would be given a 50 per cent concession in fares in road transport. The cabinet approved the rules.

The provincial cabinet on humanitarian grounds approved the proposals to declare the private homes of Under Trial Prisoners, Abdul Rehman and Arif Qasmani as sub jails. Abdul Rehman, 55, was languishing in jail in an ATC case with a sentence of one year awarded to him on January 2, 2021. He is seriously ill and suffering from different diseases. Therefore, the cabinet approved the request to declare his home as sub-jail. Similarly, Arif Qasmani, 78, was in jail in an ATC case but he is seriously ill, therefore, the cabinet approved to declare his home as a sub-jail.