Lyari battle: Rs5m bullets used, police devour Rs0.4m food daily

Lyari operation costs Sindh hundreds of thousands of rupees everyday.

KARACHI: The ongoing Lyari operation has so far resulted in the loss of an SHO and seven personnel, while 20 others have also been killed.

To add to the Sindh Government’s losses, the operation is proving to be a financial burden too, with daily costs running into hundreds of thousands of rupees.

According to estimates, bullets worth Rs 5 million have been used, so far. For the operation, around 2,000 personnel have been deployed around Lee Market, Cheel Chowk and other surrounding areas. In order to keep the personnel fed, the per meal menu includes biryani with juice, qorma and roti with juice, or aloo gosht and roti with juice, at an approximate daily cost of Rs0.4 million.

The Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) have taken a beating as well, with one being completely destroyed. The repair costs of three APCs along with the delivery of an additional APC (tank design) from Hyderbad has cost the provincial exchequer Rs2 million so far. The repair cost included replacement of bulletproof windows and tyres.

Due to the lengthy ongoing operation, a makeshift workshop for weapons has also been established by the police.