Sindh CM orders local bodies to drain out standing water within 48 hours

DMC chairpersons cite shortage of funds for not being able to do their jobs

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a meeting on cleanliness in Karachi, has given 48 hours to all local bodies and the district administration to drain out the water from every street of the city and report back to him.

This is the first task and would be followed by structural improvements to the drainage system across the city. The third step would be development of the roads and areas where Moharram majalis and processions would be held.



The meeting was attended by Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah, Katchi Abadis Minister Murtaza Baloch, CM's Adviser Barrister Murtaz Wahab, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid jamal Abro, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani, DHA Administrator Brigadier Ibrar Hussain, Karachi Development Authority MD Dr Badar Jameel Mandhro, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board MD Asadullah Khan, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board MD, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Municipal Commissioner, chairpersons of all DMCs, municipal commissioners of all DMCs , administrators of all five cantonment boards, all deputy commissioners of Karachi and other officers.

During the meeting, it was pointed out that in the recent spell of rains everyone, including the chief minister, other ministers and local government officials, were making their best efforts to carry out relief work but it was not a coordinated effort. As a result, either the work was done in duplication or left unattended on the assumption that someone else would do it.  At this, the chief minister said that either the issues were resolved or multiplied.

The chief minister directed the LG minister to hold a coordination meeting every fortnight, in which all elected representatives, including the mayor, the chairpersons of DMCs, the chairperson of the District Council, Sindh Building Control Authority, SSWMB and representatives of Cantonment Boards may be called to raise the issues of their respective organisations and resolve them in a coordinated way.

The chief minister said that he would personally visit different parts of the city during the next 48 hours to see what was happening in the different districts and what problems were being faced by the people. "This may be considered as the top priority to remove rain or sewerage water from the streets and roads to provide relief to the people of this city," he said.

Paucity of funds

The chairpersons of DMCs pointed out that they were facing shortage of funds and all the DMCs have liabilities of salaries or pensions and could not carry out development work. At this, the chief minister said that the provincial government was facing a financial crunch due to the shortfall in federal revenue transfers. "Despite the serious crisis, I have tried my best to provide funds to the local bodies," he said, adding that the local bodies would have to generate their own resources and reduce non-development expenditures by making the required financial adjustments. He said that he would be providing more funds to the local bodies.

SSWMB's performance

During the meeting, most of the participants pointed out the worsening performance of the SSWMB and said that it had no staff and had borrowed officers from departments. The chief minister said that they must hire professionals from the market to improve their performance.

The CM directed the LG minister to improve the performance of the SSWMB, otherwise he would give the responsibility of garbage lifting and door-to-door collection of trash back to the DMCs. "SSWMB must improve its performance otherwise I will have to make harsh decisions," he said.

Garbage transfer stations

It was pointed out in the meeting that the DMCs have no designated Garbage Transfer Stations. The chief minister therefore directed the chairpersons of the DMCs and DCs to point out land in every district where the transfer stations may be established.

The chief minister directed the Karachi mayor and DMCs to start fumigation in the city. At this, Mayor Akhtar said that he has provided 48 vehicles to the DMCs for fumigation. "I have no funds for the purchase of medicine, even then I arranged and provided them to the local bodies," he said.

Drainage system

The mayor pointed out the drainage system in the city did not have the capacity to cater to the requirement of the population, therefore all the gutters were gushing out sewerage water onto the roads. The chief minister said that he would hold another meeting with the mayor and other relevant to work out a detailed plan for the development and reconstruction of the sewerage system. "I know this city needs a new and modern drainage system for which I was working with the World Bank," he said, adding that his government would do it on its own.

Shortages in hospitals

The mayor said that the KMC-run hospitals were facing acute shortage of doctors and technical staff. A large number of senior doctors and technical staff have retired during the last six years but no new recruitment has been made. He said that he had issued an advertisement, which the provincial government had cancelled. At this, the chief minister said that he had not cancelled the advertisement, but the announcement was withdrawn in light of the Sindh High Court's orders, which has directed that hiring on positions from grade 1 to 14 be conducted on the basis of the NTS tests. "We are going for a review of the court's decision and hopefully, things will improve," he said.

The chief minister said that he would hold a separate meeting with the mayor within a week to resolve all the issues of the KMC.

Cantonment boards

Murtaza Wahab, the CM's adviser, said that the areas that mostly remained inundated after the heavy rains belonged to the Cantonment Boards, but people kept accusing the provincial government for poor performance. The chief minister, through the DHA Administrator, directed all the cantonment boards to keep their areas clean.



Increase in DMCs' grants

The DMCs' chairpersons pointed out that salaries of the staff have been raised by 40% during the last three years but the government had not increased their grants. The chief minister said that the LG minister was working on the salary structure of all the local bodies' employees so that their salaries could be protected.

KE-KMC row

The mayor complained that the K-Electric had disconnected their power connection, though the KE was defaulting on the KMC's land utilisation bills. The chief minister said that he would talk to the K-Electric to pay the land utilisation bill to the KMC. The KMC and other local bodies have the right to take land utilisation fee from the K-Electric, where it has installed its electric poles and other installations.

Concluding the meeting, the CM said they would all have to work together, above party and political affiliations. "This is our city and the people living here are our people," he said, adding that they had to serve them to the best of our abilities. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2019.