Local government representatives complain of lack of funding from Sindh govt. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI: To clean the city of the remains of sacrificial animals during Eidul Azha, various administrative units along with the newly-elected local government representatives have put their heads together.
Moreover, unlike every year, expectations of citizens are high this time around due to their local representatives being in place.
Masood Alam, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) municipal services senior director, thinks that the presence of elected representatives is likely to result in better cleanliness work this time around. "The elected councilors, chairmen and vice-chairmen would be on the roads monitoring the cleanup operations," he told The Express Tribune, explaining that their presence would naturally be beneficial.
On their own
The city is divided in six district municipal corporations (DMCs), five cantonment boards and 12 other agencies, including the KMC. Every agency is responsible of cleanliness in its jurisdiction.
According to Alam, cleanliness is primarily the function of the DMCs but for Eidul Azha, the KMC will be facilitating the DMCs. KMC's vehicles would go to the respective DMCs for lifting animal remains. He added that the 32 roads of the city which fall under the KMC would be covered by them.
According to him, 500 Suzuki vans and 100 dumpers of the KMC would be on the roads for fumigation purposes, explaining that private vehicles have been obtained for the purpose.
Karachi's deputy mayor, Arshad Vohra, said trenches have been dug up in all the districts and the relevant DMCs would clean their areas. He pointed out that they haven't received any help from the Sindh government, but assured that all the DMCs would be supported by the KMC from its available resources.
He too admitted that the public has high expectations and they [KMC] are thus under pressure to deliver.
District Central
According to DMC Central's elected chairman Rehan Hashmi, they are expecting around 0.4 million remains of sacrificial animals this Eid. However, he pointed out that barely 15% of the entire resources of the DMC are available to them for the purpose.
He explained that the have divided the DMC into four zones: North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Gulberg and Liaquatabad. Each zone, according to him, would have a complaint centre while every union council (UC) has been given Suzuki vans to lift waste depending on its population. The total number of Suzukis in the district is 5,000 with as many workers, other than the DMC officials, being deployed for the purpose. Their central complaint centre will be at Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi.
He accepted that they did not have any proper dumping space in the district, adding that trenches have been dug in Gulberg near Ghareebabad, Gutter Bagheecha, North Karachi and one in North Nazimabad's T-block.
He complained that they did not get any funding or a special package from the Sindh government for cleaning the city during Eidul Azha. "Contractors have been hired on credit and the local community has been mobilised," he said, adding that they would make sure no loophole is left in their work.
"It will definitely be a test case for us," he added.
District East
Meanwhile, District East's chairman said they are expecting 0.25 million sacrificial animal remains to be picked up. He explained that before they took charge, the tenders for offal lifting had already been given by the administrators and they'll be following that plan.
He said that Suzuki vans will be deployed to collect the waste and dump it in seven trenches near the Malir River. For areas falling under Cantonment Board Faisal (CBF), which lies in the district, he said there was no coordination between them as yet but if the need arises, they would definitely help residents of the CBF.
District Korangi
DMC Korangi's solid waste director, Rafique Shaikh, told The Express Tribune that collection points for each UC have been marked from where animal remains will be transported to the dumping points at 100 Quarter near Tasveer Mahal Cinema, Azeem Pura Graveyard at Shah Faisal number five's river and at Sharaf Goth in Malir zone. He explained that all the trenches are far away from residential areas.
District Malir
Meanwhile, Jan Muhammad Baloch, chairman of District Malir, said their vehicles will dump animal remains in Jumah Goth, where three trenches are being dug.
Regarding funds from the Sindh government for the clean-up operation, he said they did receive funds, town wise, and would utilise those.
District South
District South's elected chairman, Malik Muhammad Fayyaz, said they have divided their district into two zones - Lyari and Saddar - and are expecting 0.45 million remains of sacrificial animals.
The trenches in the district, according to him, have been dug in Mewa Shah graveyard, where the KMC's vast tract of land for a vehicle depot is lying vacant. Around 175 vehicles in the district, he said, would take part in the operation with the help of 300 wheelbarrows that have been made available for the purpose.
With regards to the two cantonment boards in the district, Fayyaz does not foresee any tussle regarding jurisdiction. "If we find any offal present in the cantonment's jurisdiction, we will pick it up," he assured.
Meanwhile, Clifton Cantonment Board's chief sanitary inspector, Shabbir Hussain, said they have made camps in all the phases of Defence Housing Authority from where their vehicles would lift remains of animals and transport them to the dumping points.
Several trenches, he said, have been dug up in DHA's Phase-VIII, near Do Darya, to dump the animal remains.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2016.
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