The Rangers have issued an advisory to citizens, asking them not to give the hides of their sacrificial animals to any political or religious group that may have links to terrorist outfits. PHOTO: ONLINE
KARACHI:
To clean the city of the entrails and remains of sacrificial animals during Eidul Azha, the different administrative units of the city have tightened their belts. However, like every year, citizens might have to bear the brunt of ill-planning for want of coordination between the different administrative agencies of the city.
With six district municipal corporations (DMCs), five cantonment boards and 12 other agencies, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) senior municipal director Masood Alam is not optimistic about the cleanliness of the city during Eidul Azha.
"There is no unity of command in the city," he told The Express Tribune, adding that one cannot expect results when the authorities are so divided. However, he said, the KMC will try its best.
Read: Security arrangements: 15,500 policemen to be deployed on Eid
According to Alam, the KMC has planned for collection of remains of 0.8 million animals on the first day of Eid and around 0.3 million on the second day. For this purpose, he said, the six DMCs have been divided into 18 zones, in which trenches have been dug up to dispose of the waste.
He said that after 10am on Eid, people will start throwing these remains in the streets and 400 of KMC's vans will start picking them up. "The DMCs have the primary responsibility of the collection of the remains," he said, adding that the KMC will look after their 29 major corridors and will also facilitate the cantonment boards' administrations to dump the animal remains as they do not have any such facility.
Alam said that the waste collected from Clifton will be dumped near Mewa Shah Graveyard, while that from Defence will be dumped in Korangi. Speaking of dumpers and loaders, he said they will be ready by 2pm. "The vans will pick up the remains from internal streets and bring them to one collection point," he explained. "From those points, dumpers will carry the waste to the trenches."
Trenches within the city
This year, most of the trenches have been dug up within the city and are likely to spread a foul smell and epidemic diseases. East DMC administrator Rahmatullah Shaikh told The Express Tribune that two big trenches have been dug up in his zone. One is in Malir River and the other is in Aziz Bhatti Park behind the Federal Urdu University in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, he said.
"Three 100-feet-long and 15-foot-deep trenches have been dug up in Aziz Bhatti Park," he said. He explained that in the past they used to use Lyari River for the purpose but since Karachi Water and Sewerage Board's K-IV project was underway, they could not get permission to use that site this year.
He said that behind the Aziz Bhatti Park, they had dug up three big trenches and will make sure that residents do not have to face any problem, assuring that they will close the trenches as soon as possible and will spray the site.
Read: Hide collection: Code of conduct issued
On the other hand, Central DMC administrator Aisha Abro said that their 200 vehicles will be on the roads on Eid. She said that the Central district has been divided into four zones, in which trenches have been dug up. However, she added, they do not have heavy vehicles such as dumpers and loaders. "KMC took those back during monsoon to clean rain drains," she said, adding that Central DMC never got those vehicles back.
Speaking about the digging of trenches, commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that it was an old practice. "It has been happening this way since years," he pointed out, adding that the issue should have been taken up earlier. "Now with three days left in Eid, nothing can be done."
Fuel supply
Meanwhile, KMC fuel director Muhammad Usman told The Express Tribune that on the three days of Eid, the supply of fuel for vans will remain uninterrupted. However, he said that there was no special fund or grant of fuel for Eidul Azha days.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2015.
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