CBC given four days to remove solid waste from its jurisdiction

Judicial commission orders private consultants rehabilitating govt hospitals to be de-notified

KARACHI: The judicial commission directed on Wednesday the chief secretary to de-notify the privately hired consultants for rehabilitation projects at government hospitals.

Justice (retired) Amir Hani Muslim, head of the Supreme Court-appointed commission investigating the authorities’ failure to provide clean drinking water and sanitation in Sindh, passed this order while hearing a matter related to rehabilitation of public hospitals in the province.

Earlier, regarding schemes for rehabilitation of district and taluka headquarters hospitals, the health secretary said this was a dead end and, after visiting some hospitals, he concluded that the project had failed to deliver.

On the other hand, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon said that the government had a Monitoring and Evaluation Cell (MEC) in the planning and development department, which could evaluate whether the project could be continued. He suggested that the cell may be assigned the task to as to whether any of the hospitals of this project could be allowed to be completed or be disbanded.



The commission directed the MEC to submit its report in this regard within one week after which appropriate orders could be passed. In the intervening period, the consultants appointed in these projects should be de-notified, as, according to the chief secretary, there was no requirement for the appointment of consultants in repair and maintenance works when the nature of the project itself was rehabilitation.

Issuing a notice to the Shikarpur medical superintendent, the commission directed him to improve the working on the administrative side and warned him to be careful in the future as, during the commissioner’s visit, the condition of the hospital was found to be deplorable. The commission warned that if improvement was not brought about within one month, the MS would need to be transferred.

The Clifton Cantonment Board’s (CBC) deputy chief executive officer, Ghulam Muhammad Abro, informed the commission that the CBC will ensure that no solid waste will be seen on the streets and that it will be more careful in the future.

He was granted four days to ensure all the solid waste was collected and disposed of at the site for the time being.  However, he was told that the CBC should arrange disposal of municipal waste at landfill sites after three months.

The commission directed Sindh Solid Waste Management Board Managing Director Taha Farooqi to visit the places along with the CBC CEO to ensure that the solid municipal waste was collected from the streets, storm water drains and roads.

The health secretary submitted a notification regarding de-notification of the central procurement committee for procurement of medicines for government hospitals along with his report on compliance of the commission’s March 20 order.



With the consent of the chief secretary and health secretary, the commission ordered the health secretary to notify the central procurement committee as a technical committee immediately. The committee would be empowered to co-opt experts in case the committee desired assistance in any specific field. The committee will have all the powers to the medical and surgical equipment, machines and furniture or any other items to be installed or fixed within hospitals in Sindh at any level whether tertiary, district or taluka hospitals.

The National Accountability Bureau’s chairperson was requested to appoint any officer of the additional director’s level to be part of the technical committee to ensure transparency in the work assigned to it.

The commission ordered that the issue of civil works in the projects would be resolved once the proposal was received from the monitoring cell as the health secretary said that there were hospitals in Sindh at the district and taluka levels at which construction had just started.

Justice (retd) Muslim observed that since a composite order needed to be passed, therefore, the issue of civil works at those hospitals within the project was deferred. However, he ordered that in all other hospitals in Sindh, the works department will immediately take over civil work after proper measurements and inventories within 15 days. The works secretary was directed to submit a compliance report.

The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency’s (Sepa) secretary also filed a report reflecting that Kiran Sugar Mill was inspected and violations were found there. Therefore, the officer had lodged a complaint with the magistrate in Rohri besides issuing a show-cause notice to the mill’s management as well, the commission was informed.



The commission directed the deputy commissioner concerned to maintain vigilance and ensure that the stone crushing plants in Guddu, which had been closed by Sepa on the commission’s order, were not restored.

The KWSB MD informed the commission that he needed to discuss with his department the installation of the meters at the pumping stations and the issue would be taken up on March 27.

The commission noted that the issue with regard to distribution of water in SITE also needed to be addressed, but before passing an order, it issued notices to the president of the SITE Association Karachi for March 27 to submit a reply in this regard.

The chief secretary said a survey regarding removal of encroachments or obstructions on storm water drains needed to be undertaken. The commission noted that since the mayor had already requested time to give his feedback on the issue on March 27, therefore, the issue will be taken up on the same date.

The commission recalled that on March 5 the Sindh Building Control Authority’s director-general was required to submit a list of the housing societies, but he has said that he had not submitted the same so far and assured it would be done by March 27.

The commission told the SBCA DG to also provide a list of buildings raised in the last two years besides the housing schemes and approvals accorded by the SBCA either at the level of regional director or the DG.



He was further directed to provide the details as to whether the proposed buildings, which were accorded sanction and constructed, had obtained any certificate from the civic agencies to provide facilities to the buildings and residents on completion of the project. This information should reach the commission by March 27, Justice (retd) Muslim directed.