Yet another cleanliness drive: ‘Clean My Karachi’ drive kicks off today

All DMCs have been provided equipment and manpower for the month-long campaign

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has decided to launch a month-long cleanliness drive to clean the city and rid it of the piles of garbage that have defaced it over the last several months. The 'Clean My Karachi' drive starts today (Saturday) in which over 600 dumpers, tractors and 4,000 workers will participate across the city.

The CM took this decision on Friday while presiding over a follow-up meeting to review the arrangements made for the drive. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, provincial ministers Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah, Adviser Murtaza Wahab, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani, Local Government Secretary Roshan Shaikh, all deputy commissioners and other relevant officials.

"This city of lights has lost its beauty in the heaps of filth and garbage accumulated along the roads and in the streets," said the CM. "What we have to do is clean it once and for all and hand over the cleaned city to the DMCs who will have to maintain it from then on," he added.

The deputy commissioners have each been provided Rs50 million, while temporary Garbage Transfer Stations (GTS) have been established in each district. The garbage would then be transported to the landfill sites of Gondal Pass and Jam Chakro by the Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority.

The deputy commissioners have divided the garbage lifting work on the sub-division level, where the provincial government has provided tractors, loaders, shovels, tractor trollies and other machinery.

Korangi

Korangi has four sub-divisions that are further divvied into 37 union councils. This district has been provided 29 tractor trollies, seven loaders along with one dumper and five excavators. They have also hired the services of 100 sanitary workers.

Malir

Malir has three sub-divisions and 13 union councils. It has been provided 16 tractors, 45 dumpers and excavators. The district has employed the services of 410 workers in addition to the 272 employees of the DMC to lift the garbage.

Central

This district has five sub-divisions and 51 union councils. It has been provided 153 tractor trollies, 51 excavators, 24 dumpers and six loaders. District Central has established five temporary GTS and the area will be cleaned by 750 workers who have been hired to lift the garbage.

West

District West is made up of seven sub-divisions and 52 union councils. It has been provided 116 dumpers, 10 trolleys, 18 trucker trolleys, 28 loaders, 10 front loaders, and other machinery. It has been provided 2,500 workers in addition to the employees of the DMC.

East

This district has four sub-divisions and 31 union councils. It has been provided 107 dumpers, and 22 excavators, besides other equipment. This district has been allowed to hire the services of 290 workers.

South

The district has six sub-divisions and 31 union councils. It has been provided 29 mini-loaders, 100 dumpers and 51 Suzuki pickups to transport the garbage to the temporary GTS. The district administration has been allowed to hire the services of 1,261 workers in addition to its 1,101 employees. It has established 72 dumping points and 16 temporary GTS.

District Council

The District Council area of Karachi also comprises three sub-divisions - Murad Memon, Gadap and Shah Mureed - and is spread over 13 union councils. It has been provided 56 dumpers and 20 loaders. The district council has been given 292 workers, in addition to its 104 employees to lift the garbage from the area.

Directives to the DMCs

The chief minister directed the local government minister, Syed Nasir Shah, to involve all the DMCs in the drive. "I will visit each district and meet with chairpersons and municipal commissioners in their respective areas," he said. He directed the LG minister to invite federal minister, Ali Zaidi, to visit the areas with him, adding that he would also invite the mayor to accompany him on the visits.

Shah directed the deputy commissioners to continue the work round the clock so that the herculean feat could be completed within 30 days.

The CM also directed the commissioner to monitor the dumping of garbage in the temporary GTS so that they could be lifted to the landfill sites in time. "The landfill sites have weighing machines and they will determine how much trash has been lifted in a day," he said.

The chief minister tasked the LG minister to form a group of two ministers for each district to monitor the cleanliness work. He also urged the minister to involve Karachi Water and Sewerage Board so that the sewerage system could also be cleaned along with the garbage lifting drive.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2019.