Sindh cabinet approves plan to develop park on Nehr-e-Khayam

NGO to adopt park for a tenure of 30 years, develop it into recreational spot

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet approved on Monday the signing of an agreement with a private party to beautify, modernise and develop Nehr-e-Khayam as a recreational point.

"This will be a gift for the people of Karachi and it will be for families to have picnics and enjoy sailing in beautiful boats," said Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. "Literary people can enjoy their reading material and youngsters can enjoy different flavours of coffee at the bank of the beautiful Nehr-e-Khayam," he added.

The CM was presiding over the provincial cabinet meeting at the New Sindh Secretariat on Monday. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, all provincial ministers, advisers and relevant officers, such as Police IG Dr Kaleem Imam, Advocate-General Salman Talibuddin, prosecutor general and others. Local government minister Syed Nasir Shah presented an item of an agreement to be signed between the Sindh Government and PANI - a group of NGOs led by architect Shahid Abdullah - for the improvement of Nehr-e-Khayam.



Nehr-e-Khayam runs from Gizri crossing, beside Ocean Mall, Clifton up to the sea. In the past, it was used for drainage of storm water to the sea. In fact, water travels both ways in Nehr-e-Khayam - during low tide, from the ground to the sea and during high tide, from the sea to the ground.  The cabinet was informed that for the last few years, sewerage is being discharged into Nehr-e-Khayam for its disposal into the sea. The waste disposal along the banks of the canal became a nuisance for residents in the area, which was further exacerbated by encroachers and land grabbers.

The cabinet was informed that after a detailed meeting with PANI, a draft agreement was proposed under which a park and recreation space would be developed and adopted by PANI. The tenure for the adoption of the land by PANI would be 30 years. To segregate and ensure the smooth flow of sewerage which is currently flowing in Nehr-e-Khayam, a separate conduit will be constructed by the Sindh government in the portion proposed for the park's development.

Under the proposed agreement, the park will not be used for any political activity and the title of the land will remain with the Sindh government. The adopted park area will not be used for any commercial activity, except for tuck-shops, while the height of any structure will not be more than 15 feet.

Ban on plastic bags

The chief minister's adviser on environment, Barrister Murtaza Wahab told the meeting that a complete ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase and use of non-degradable plastic bags of all sizes has been imposed with effect from October 1, 2019.  He said that only Oxo-biodegradable plastic and shopping bags of different sizes would be manufactured, sold and used. The chief minister directed the advisor to meet manufacturers and sellers and take them into confidence for the enforcement of the ban.

KWSB

The cabinet directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to implement the water and sewerage service charges as approved by the government in 2016. The water board has implemented the 9% enhancement of its tariff for consumers of all categories.

Police law

The committee comprises adviser to the chief minister on law, Sindh Advocate-General, Inspector-General of Sindh Police, home secretary and the finance secretary. The Sindh cabinet approved the increase in licence fee of gratis arms from Rs1,000 to Rs2,000, said the information minister. He said that the purpose of raising the fee was to cover the cost of process of issuing the licence.

Sindh Bank

The cabinet also approved various measures related to the Sindh Bank, which included bringing in experienced professionals to the bank, taking full advantage of the IT sector, compliance of fraud management risk, recovery of loans and establishment of more branches of the bank, said the information minister. He added that the Sindh government would deposit Rs14.7 billion in the Sindh Bank by 2020, adding that the provincial government had deposited Rs3b in the bank so far.

Rescue 1122

The cabinet also decided to set up a sub-committee to finalise the matters pertaining to the establishment of the Sindh Rescue 1122 emergency service.



The sub-committee would comprise the health minister, rehabilitation minister and adviser to the chief minister on law, who would go through the draft of the legislation relating to the establishment of the Rescue 1122 Emergency Service before finalising it. The final draft would then be presented before the next cabinet meeting. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Information Minister Saeed Ghani said that an Emergency Council had been proposed for the service. The council would comprise 13 members, whose chairman would be the chief minister, while two members would be from the private sector.

Ghani said that in accordance with the draft of the legislation, a Sindh Rescue Service Academy would be set up. The academy will offer various short and long-term courses for professional and skills development. He said that the purpose of establishing the proposed academy was to induct a team of experts in the emergency rescue service.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2019.