Malir DC requests postponement of LG polls in calamity-hit UCsA few days after the Sindh government issued a notification declaring many parts of the province calamity-hit in view of the ongoing devastating monsoon rains, the deputy commissioner of Malir has sent a letter to the provincial election commissioner to consider delaying the local government polls in two union councils of the district.
Officials said the deputy commissioner had dispatched the letter to the provincial election commissioner through the district election commissioner.
It says the ongoing monsoon spell has played havoc in District Malir, as it has in other districts in the province.
Although the district administration and line departments have endeavoured to the best of their capabilities and resources to meet the challenge of the natural disaster, there are a number of populated areas of different sub-divisions which are still inaccessible and have been deprived of basic amenities due to the incessant heavy rains.
The letter further reads that many polling stations and school buildings have been affected due to rains, and the surrounding areas are still under rainwater. Moreover, it points out, theprovincial relief department, vide a notification dated August 21, 2022, has declared Union Council Khund Jhang and Union Council Gadap as “calamity-affected”.
In spite of the fact that the district administration is making all efforts to clear those areas to enable the authorities to smoothly hold the second phase of local government elections, “it seems a bit unpredictable to commit or guarantee at the current stage as to whether the polling would be feasible or not in certain areas of Gadap bordering Balochistan where the road network is completely damaged”.
Earlier, the Sindh government issued a notification declaring many areas of the province calamity-hit.
It had said: “In supersession of this department’s notification dated August 12, 2022, on account of heavy rains during monsoon 2022, following districts Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Dadu, Sujawal, Tando Allahyar, Jamshoro, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Shaheed Benazirabad, Nausharo Feroze, Sanghar, Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Larkana, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Kamber Shandadkot, Jacobabad including two Dehs of Karachi Malir, have reportedly been affected and the people have suffered heavy losses, which include loss of human lives, livestock, the damage to houses and standing crops of Kharif 2022-23.
