As authorities continue to face flak following the recent rain spell that laid bare the city's deteriorating infrastructure and faulty drainage systems, PPP ministers passed the buck on encroachments on nullahs and their cleaning.
In a joint press conference on Sunday, Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Sindh Education Saeed Ghani claimed that 70 per cent of the metropolis was not under the administrative control of the Sindh government, but bodies like cantonment boards, the Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan Railways, Karachi Port trust and other federal government departments. Saying so, they implied the provincial government was not responsible for upkeep and administration, including nullah cleaning and removal of encroachments from stormwater drains, in those areas.
More specifically referring to the flooding of Sharae Faisal, the port city's main thoroughfare, they claimed the neighbourhoods in its vicinity which faced drainage problems fell under federal government department. Even then, the provincial government took measures to clean those areas, the ministers said.
Besides, said Ghani, encroachments on nullahs did not creep up during the Pakistan Peoples Party's regime, adding, "It is an open secret who allowed them."
The minister went on to claim that the land reserved for TP-2 project, owned by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, in his constituency was illegally leased out, despite strong criticism and protest. "And now over 2,000 houses have been built there, with the owners of many transferring their leases to different names."
Action against encroachments
Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, while admitting that encroachments on drains had been illegally regularised at some places, announced that a transparent investigation would be launched to probe the matter and those who facilitated the illicit act would not be forgiven.
"Encroachments on stormwater drains will not be tolerated under any circumstances as they pose a hurdle in the way of drainage and cleaning nullahs," he said, adding that they would soon be completely removed.
Speaking with regards to relief and rescue work following the recent rain in Karachi, he maintained that local bodies' representatives continued to work hard, despite unfavourable conditions.
"Karachi received more rain than the rest of the country," he claimed, adding the all ministers, provincial advisers and aides, were out on the streets to help citizens. Besides, local district administration officials, district municipal corporations' heads, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board chairperson and Sindh Solid Waste Management Board managing director remained active during this period, the minister stated.
"Unless all institutions and stakeholders work together, it will be difficult to find a permanent solution to [Karachi's] problems," the minister remarked, saying that Sindh government was willing to cooperate with others for the betterment of Karachi and Sindh.
According to Shah, 35 of 38 stormwater drains under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation were being cleaned by the Sindh government, while the National Disaster Management Authority and Frontiers Works Organisation were cleaning the remaining three, which were partially cleaned by the provincial government last month.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2020.
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