Garbage stays as CM’s deadline expires

Only areas near Governor, CM houses cleaned


Our Correspondent July 21, 2016
Garbage piles dot the city despite CM’s orders to clean the city. PHOTO: INP

KARACHI: A three-day ultimatum given by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to all municipal authorities has been termed a 'joke' by residents.

Zeeshan Ashraf, who owns a restaurant on Burnes Road, said he works for up to 12 hours a day but has not seen a single municipal vehicle cleaning the roads or picking up garbage. He said he only witnessed government vehicles cleaning the roads near CM House and Governor House.

Karachi’s garbage: Chinese firms to clean three districts

However, District Municipal Corporation (DMC) South administrator Muhammad Naeem claims that they did their best to work within the short deadline. For more than a year, DMC South has been awaiting the orders for the appointment of a municipal commissioner. "No one likes to be criticised but with only 1,400 available sanitary workers we cannot ensure that every corner of the district is cleaned," he lamented.

While travelling on Sharae Pakistan in District Central or Corridor One from Karsaz to SITE, citizens all over the city were dissatisfied with the state of Karachi's cleanliness.

The commissioner told The Express Tribune that he has directed all the DMC administrators to work as efficiently as they can and utilise all the resources they have. "I am personally monitoring the cleanliness work and it is not focused on District South alone," he added.

Potholes in the CM’s administration

Special assistant to CM Waqar Mehdi claimed that the three-day ultimatum was given to make the civic agencies cognisant of their responsibilities and to pressurise them. Mehdi believes that their strategy has been successful and that the city is in a better condition now.

"You cannot even call it a joke that he expects the municipal authorities to clean 10 years' mess in three days," said Raza Gardezi of NGO Shehri.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22nd, 2016.

 

COMMENTS (3)

syed & syed | 7 years ago | Reply @Ali S: Local body government is seated in Dubai and Islamabad
Ali S | 7 years ago | Reply Karachiites should hold dharna outside CM house demanding giving rights to their elected local govt (unfortunately it seems unlikely considering Rangers have arrested the mayor, and then establishment wonders why Karachiites don't trust them) - nowhere else in the world is a city of 20 million and economic hub without a functioning local body govt to take care of basic matters like waste management, water, sanitation, electricity.
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