‘Many govt hospitals, schools in pathetic state in Sindh’

PTI MPA Saeed Afridi says results of spending on health and education remain invisible

KARACHI:

Opposition lawmaker belonging to Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) taking part in the budget speech said that the allocation for health and education sectors in Karachi present a grim picture where billions of rupees worth of schemes were lying non-functional.

"There are three hospitals in district West and Keamari that have been built with huge amount, but even after the passage of five to six years, the buildings are laying idle. The drug mafia and land mafia have taken refuge in the incomplete structures," PTI MPA Saeed Afridi said.

In his budget speech, sharing the details on the floor of house, he said, "A 50-bed hospital in Pathan Colony was finished five years ago, but it has yet to become functional,” he said, adding that the hospital comes under the preview of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) that is currently headed by Sindh government's representative Murtaza Wahab.

"We I approached former Mayor Wasim Akhtar, he gave an excuse of funds and other resources, but for now the KMC is under the PPP government, so they should expedite the process to run the hospital," he said.

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Another 50-bed hospital built in Kasba Colony in Karachi's West district also needs the attention of the authorities concerned as hospital building gives deserted look.

"The state of art hospital is built by Sindh government five year ago. I have raised the issue with Sindh government officials many times to run it, but no one heeds to me," he said adding that another 200-bed hospital named after Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has been under construction in Moominabad for last 10 years and no one looks serious to finalize the scheme.

Talking about the education, he said that in last ten years, Sindh government has spent more than Rs1.53 trillion on education, but most of the schools in his area that falls in the Baldia Town are deprived of water, sanitation and other basic facalities.

During the session, which started with Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari in chair, many MPAs belonging to ruling and opposition parties criticised and appreciated each other leadership.

Firdous Shamim Naqvi of PTI who also happened to be former Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly though criticised the PPP government for failing to meet its targets, appreciated Sindh Chief Minister on launching the 1122, emergency ambulance service in the province.

"Better late than never. The 1122 rescue service was launched in 2005 in Punjab, but we have now seen it here. I congratulate CM on it," she said adding that the budget was nothing, but jugglery of words.  Referring to a report about the status of education in Sindh she said, "More than six million children are out of the school in Sindh, how can they claim to bring drastic change in the province."

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The PTI MPA responding to PPP MPAs criticism, lauded the former prime minister Imran Khan's initiatives to counter the Islamophobia and said, "He portrayed the true picture of Islam of tolerance, love and peace in front of world leaders informing them about the teaching of peace be upon him in this respect."  Naqvi was of the view that it was the PTI tenure in which federal government started 10 mega schemes about the dams to overcome energy and water crises," he said.

As the deputy speaker gave the floor to Basit Siddiqui of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), he drew the comparison between previous and existing problems confronted by the people living in Sindh. "We have the same budget figures with the same problems for last 13 years," he said adding that people living in Karachi have been protesting for drinking water, but all in vain.

"If there is water shortage then wherefrom the tanker mafia get and supply it to the citizens. it means the water is available and its management has been a big problem for successive governments," he lamented.

Javed Hanif, a bureaucrat turned politician who belongs to the MQM-P raised the issue of discrimination against the Urdu speaking people who according to him migrated from India and settled in Pakistan. Later, the deputy speaker adjourned the session till today (Friday).