Judicial commission directs focal person to coordinate between agencies

Syed Ali Hyder Shah had been appointed as focal person a day earlier

KARACHI: The judicial commission on water and sanitation directed on Tuesday its focal person, Syed Ali Hyder Shah, to facilitate the Karachi mayor and civic agencies in devising a plan to clean the storm water drains in the metropolis.

Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, the head of the Supreme Court-appointed judicial commission gave this directive on Tuesday after summoning the heads of civic bodies over the issue of removal of electricity and phone cables, and gas and sewerage pipes from storm water drains as they were obstructing the cleaning work.

During Tuesday's proceedings, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Managing Director Muhammad Khalid Shaikh, National Telecommunication Corporation Director Shahid Hussain, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Acting Managing-Director Amin Rajput, SSGC Senior General Manager Distribution Saeed Larik and K-Electric Chief Distribution Officer Amir Zia appeared before the commission.

The senior officials of utility organisations undertook before the commission that they would coordinate with the mayor who had identified the places from where the electricity wiring, gas lines, phone cables or sewerage pipes were to be removed.



The commission directed that Shah, who is also the secretary of provincial services and general administration department's training management and research wing, would be the coordinator, between the mayor and other officers in facilitating the cleaning of storm water drains in Karachi.

A day earlier, the commission had appointed Shah as its focal person to resolve the water and sewerage related issues in the city.

The chief secretary informed the commission that some time was required to revisit the issue of executing schemes on two storm water drains - Gujjar Nullah and Mehmoodabad Nullah -­ and to see if those schemes needed to be handed over back to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) for execution.

The commission adjourned hearing on the matter till April 16.

The Ghotki Municipal Committee chairperson and chief municipal officer appeared before the commission and informed it that in future they would attend the meetings of the Ghotki deputy commissioner.

Justice (retd) Muslim directed the task force chairperson to examine the issue of salaries and other directives issued by the commission its visit to Ghotki.