Ministers meet: Sindh cabinet approves Rs5b for police

Committee to hire doctors for Tharparkar at better salaries.

KARACHI: Sindh cabinet members have approved Rs5 billion for the police department to purchase weapons and bulletproof vehicles.

At a meeting presided by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday, the cabinet discussed law and order in the province and the drought in Tharparkar. “The meeting has decided to form a committee to recruit doctors in Tharparkar by offering them twice the salaries and free accommodation,” Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon told The Express Tribune. He said that despite many efforts no female doctor was willing to work in Thar.

“We have sacked 400 doctors for their negligence and for not performing their duties in the remote areas of the province,” he said.

Referring to the cabinet decisions, he said the cabinet stressed on the need to dispatch more doctors, specialists in paediatrics, gynaecologists, surgeons and dermatologists, ambulances and mobiles medical units to Tharparkar.

The minister and advisers also directed the food department and the relief authorities to ensure the remaining supply of wheat to the drought-hit residents within a week and arrange relief activities immediately. The cabinet directed the deputy commissioners, who have arid zones within their jurisdiction to visit their areas and submit a detailed report within 48 hours.

The meeting was informed that out of 120,000 wheat bags, nearly 87,500 bags have so far been distributed among families. Meanwhile, the remaining 32,500 bags will be distributed within a week.

“I don’t want to hear about bungling and mismanagement in the distribution system,” Shah reprimanded. “The wheat should be distributed by a committee comprising the assistant commissioner, the opposition leader of the area and journalists while the MPAs and MNAs will monitor this process.”  A senior member of the Board of Revenue, Alamuddin Bullo, who was also the relief commissioner in Sindh, informed the cabinet that 31 basic health units and 18 government dispensaries have been made functional in addition to strengthening Civil Hospital, Mithi. He added that 11 males and seven females have also been hired from other districts for relief work.

The chief minister was told that almost 2.18 million livestock, out of 4.5 million, have been vaccinated. In view of the deaths, other areas around Tharparkar have also been declared ‘calamity-hit’, such as parts of Umerkot, Sanghar and Khairpur.

Police recruitment

The additional chief secretary of the home department, Mumtaz Ali Shah, told the cabinet that the department has started the recruitment process of 10,000 additional cops in Sindh. The appointment of 2,000 retired army men has been completed, he added.

Meanwhile, four additional anti-terrorism courts have started functioning. “We are getting good responses as far as conviction is concerned,” he said. Shah appreciated the performance of the law enforcers. “Apart from the Sindh government and the elite of Karachi, the prime minister has also expressed his satisfaction over the targeted operation in Karachi.” Shah also approved special allocation of incentives for the policemen working in 16 sensitive areas of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.