Citizen files petition in SHC against swarms of flies in Karachi

The petitioner states that flies swarming in the city have made life unbearable and there is an outbreak of diseases

KARACHI: A petition, filed in the Sindh High Court on Wednesday by a citizen, Sameer Samoo, maintained that the Sindh government, the Karachi mayor and the chairpersons of all six district municipal corporations are not fulfilling their duties, as the city is infested with swarms of flies.

The petitioner stated that flies swarming in the city have made life unbearable and there is an outbreak of diseases in the city because insecticides have not been sprayed. The petition mentions that flies have multiplied on a large scare because the offal of sacrificial animals hasn't been picked up from the city. The petitioner prayed the court that orders be passed directing the Sindh government and civil administration to take appropriate measures.



Garbage project director

Meanwhile, the move to dismiss former city nazim and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief, Mustafa Kamal, as garbage project director was challenged in the high court.

A petition was filed by Iqbal Kazmi against the notification dismissing the PSP chief from the post. Mayor Waseem Akhtar, Mustafa Kamal and local government secretary have been named as respondents in the petition.

"Akhtar appointed Kamal as garbage project director on August 26 but removed him from the post the very next day without completing legal obligations," stated the petition.

"The move of dismissing the PSP chief should be declared null and void and he should be given a chance to clean the city," the petition argued. It said that the Karachi mayor and local government were not ready to fulfil their responsibilities.



"The city's condition worsened due to the negligence of the mayor and local government," read the petition. It added that Kamal had accepted the challenge of removing garbage within 90 days but the mayor dismissed him from the post without a show-cause notice.

*With additional input from PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2019.