SHC issues notice to Akhtar over garbage piles in Karachi

Petitioner advocate argues Karachi mayor and other relevant departments are not fulfilling their duties

KARACHI: The same bench also issued notices to Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, local government secretary and other relevant officials over a plea regarding the inefficiency of government bodies to clean garbage dumps littering the city.

Petitioner Advocate Erum Riaz argued before the court that the Sindh government, Karachi mayor and other relevant departments were not fulfilling their duties as offals of sacrificial animals can still be seen lying around in some areas of the city. The city is stinking and there has been an outbreak of dangerous diseases including throat infection, gastrointestinal diseases and Congo Virus, she said. Advocate Riaz further said that flies and mosquitoes abound the city due to garbage dumps.

She requested that the Sindh government, Karachi mayor, cantonment boards and other relevant bodies be directed to take immediate action to clean the city. She further asked the court to direct the government to launch an awareness campaign about cleanliness. She said that the condition of Karachi will worsen if timely and appropriate measures are not taken to clean the city.

The court issued notices to local government secretary, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, chairpersons of DMCs, cantonment board and others. The court ordered the petitioner to register correct residential addresses of the parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2019.