KARACHI - Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing &Town Planning Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that although the Sindh government is adhering to the policy of social distancing, even then the supply of essential services and transportation of goods has not be stopped.
The provincial minister said that although the provincial government had taken timely steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, still it was regrettable that due to the non-availability of the testing kits, the government could not do this at the desired pace.
Sindh Minister for Education Saeed Ghani and Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh were also present during the press conference.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the testing kits were not available even in the international markets, and that the delivery of essential goods had also been delayed due to the stoppage of the airlines’ operations.
The provincial minister said that as per the directives of Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Sindh government, in order to increase its testing capacity, was also trying to get the testing kits from the UK.
He said that in order to address various issues being faced by many industries after the lockdown in the province, the chief minister had convened a meeting with the representatives of these industries tomorrow (on Tuesday).
The provincial minister said that all those industries which had their own residential colonies would be allowed to function after devising standard operating procedures for them. He further said that if the Sindh government was responsible for the wheat crisis, then would anyone like to tell, did the Sindh minister for food was behind the crisis in KP and Punjab? “
“At this moment, we have put our politics in quarantine,” he reiterated.
Nasir said that he was grateful to all those who had fully cooperated with the Sindh government in these difficult times, especially the clerics and the representatives of all the welfare organisations.
Provincial minister for information said that thanks to Allah (The Almighty) more than 250 Covid-19 patients had recovered so far throughout the province.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that the provincial government did not just talk about controlling the situation, arising out of the spread of the coronavirus, but it also took practical steps. “Especially in the first place, the government thought about the common man and the industry,” he added.
The provincial minister for education admitted that the government could not distribute the ration the way it wanted to.
He said that the Sindh government would play its part in federal government’s plan to assist the needy people under the Benazir Income Support Programme.
Ghani said that committees had been constituted at the union council level for the distribution of ration, adding that the whole process was being monitored by the deputy commissioners (DCs).