Hindrances: Cleanliness drive fails to clear garbage dump ‘of British era’

LG minister had inaugurated cleanliness drive in South district on Monday

KARACHI: The 10-day cleanliness and beautification campaign, which started in district South under the directives of the local bodies' minister Jam Khan Shoro on Monday, failed to clean a garbage dump 'of the British era' located between the SM Law College and the II Chundigar Road.



The colonial garbage dump, according to chief sanitary inspector of South District Municipal Corporation (DMC), Waqar Ahmed, is famously known as 'Kali Kundi' because the garbage is thrown there in the slabs of black marble. He said that the entire neighbourhood dumps garbage at that point and it was almost impossible to clean.

"It is the collection point of garbage," he said, adding that a vehicle of South DMC lifts trash from that point twice a day, once in the morning and then after noon.

An old garbage collector at that point told The Express Tribune that he daily picked useful material from the site. "I have seen this trash spot all my life and it hardly gets cleaned," he said.



The large dustbin is also a parking area for the city's business street, II Chundigar Road - From Pajeros to 70-CC bikes. According to one of the car owners, Kamil, whose vehicle was parked at the spot, the area reeked of foul smell due to the presence of garbage heap in the area. He suggested that if the dumpster is relocated, a huge space for parking could be created and the area could give a cleaner look.

Meanwhile, Ahmed said they did not have the capacity to either remove or relocate the dumpster. He said that they could only clean it and they do that twice a day. The newly elected councillor of the area, Jameel Ahmed, said once he takes charge, he plans to immediately relocate the trash spot to a deserted place.



South DMC administrator Abdul Rashid said the power of relocating the dump lies with the chief secretary.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2016.