Staff Reporter
Sindh Chief minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah in order to make his month-long cleanliness drive sustainable has released Rs88 million to three DMCs and District Council Karachi to get their machinery repaired and start cleanliness work and the district where SSWMA is working would be activated further.
The CM said that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority (SSWMA) was working in three districts, South, East and Malir, therefore their cleanliness job rest with it.
He added that the districts, Korangi, West, Central and District Council which were working on their may be given funds to repair refuse vehicles, and other related machinery so that they could start cleanliness of their areas.
He ordered release of Rs17 million to Korangi, Rs22 million to West, Rs37 million to Central and Rs12 million to Karachi District Council.
This he said on Tuesday while presiding over a meeting to review the results of the month-long cleanliness drive concluded on Oct 21. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, provincial ministers, Saeed Ghani, Syed Nasir Shah, Advisor to Cm Murtaza Wahab, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shahalwani, Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh, SSWMA MD Asif Ikram, Water Board MD Asadulllah Khan, all deputy commissioners and DMCs Chairmen.
Shah directed SSWMA to take strict action against contracting firms if they fail to deliver. “This is not a free of cost work but the provincial government is paying to contracting firms, therefore cleanliness work must be up to the satisfaction of the citizens.”
The CM said that just after concluding of garbage lifting drive, the contracting firms of SSWMA went on strike. “This is a deliberate attempt to turn the city once again filthy and this is not acceptable at any cost,” he said and directed SSWMA MD Asif Ikram to take strict action against the contractors.
The CM taking a policy decision directed the DMCs to trickle down sweeping work and front-end collection up to Katchra kundi (Dumpsters) to Union Council level so that monitoring and supervision can be made at the door step and easily.
“Union Councils are small units and their chairmen and other concerned staff can ensure proper sweeping and cleaning of their areas easily,” he said and added “I am assigning supervision work to the chairmen DMCs.”
The CM also directed deputy commissioners to declare model areas in term of cleanliness and hygiene in their areas and then keep them expanding. “I am still serious complaints that the shopkeepers and restaurants are throwing their trash and filth on the roads,” he said and directed deputy commissioners to once again warn the market associations and then start taking actions against the delinquents.
The meeting also decided to inform all the builders not to put their debri on the road and bound them to lift their constructional material on their expenses, otherwise impose fine on them. “Why the responsible people contribute in cleanliness work on their,” he deplored.
