Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that just after concluding his garbage lifting drive he would make it sustainable and then put his focus on the reconstruction of reaming roads of the city and their sewerage system.

This he said on Sunday while talking to media at KDA Chowrangi, North Nazimabad during his nine-hour long visit of the city. The chief minister was accompanied by Minister Information Saeed Ghani, Advisor to CM Murtaza Wahab, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahlwani, Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh, DG SSWMA Asif Ikram, DG Water Board Asadullah Khan.

He said that he had started his Clean My Karachi campaign on Sept 21 and so far over 282,000 tons of backlog of garbage has been lifted. "In other words, 70 percent backlog has been taken away and still 30 percent is left which will be cleared by October 21," he said.

Shah said that three DMCs, South, East and Malir have assigned their garbage lifting work to Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority (SSWMA) from where the deputy commissioners in their on-going month-long campaign have lifted 72,000 ton of garbage while during the said period the DCs have lifted 109,000 tons of garbage from the areas of the DMCs, Korangi, Central and West, where SSWMA was not working. "This show that the garbage backlog position is comaparatively better in the areas/DMCs where SSWMA is engaged," he said.

The chief minister said that the purpose of launching month-long garabge lifting drive was to clear the areas and hand them over to concerned DMCs to maintain them onward. "I have held meeting with Mayor Waseem Akhtar and also with chairmen DMCs so that every one must give ownership to the drive," he said and added the city belonged to every one living here, therefore it became the resposnbibility of each and every one of us to own this city and keep it neat and clean. "The Mayor, the DMCs and district council chairmen are onboard and right now the Chairman DMC Central, Rehan Hashmi is standing with me, this show our commitment with each other and with the city and its people," he said.

Shah said that on Saturday he had held a 6-hour long meeting with all DCs, Chairmen DMcs and SSWMA DG. "I am quite happy that the Chairmen DMCs certified the garbage lifting figures given to him by deputy commissioners," he said and added that he was happy that the people of districts were on board."

He said that he was thankful the DMCs chairmen attended his meeting on Saturday and "we had discussed to make the campaign sustainable," he said and added "the DMC chairmen ttold me that theu will keep their areas clean if they are given funds to rerpair their garbage lifting machinery."

Mr Shah said that on Tuesday the DMCs would be released funds to keep their tractors, refuse vehicles and other machinery repaired and then start lifting their garbage on day-to-day basis. The chief minister appreciated KWSB perform,ance and aid that during his 9-hour long visit of different areas and raods no gutter was overflowing. He appreciated water board and urged its MD to improve the capacity of the old areas sewerage system.

New Framewor: Shah said that he has directe SSWMA DG to keep in touch with all DMCs Chairmen on regular basis and work with them and for them. Once in a month the SSWMA DG would also meet with Union Council Chairmen so that necessary cleanliness work could be done on their pointation.

Mr Shah said that out of 282,000 tons of garbage lifted from different areas of the city have been dumped at temporary GTS from the SSWMA has lifted more than 18,000 tons and dumped the same at Landfill Site and the reaming garbage would also be shifted to Landfill Site.

Rejoinder: Giving rejoinder to media and his other detractors, Murad Ali Shah said that they have reported on the media that the cleanliness drive has failed. "Your this attitude has hurt me, I always take you [media] with me to show you what is happening on the ground but even then instead of appreciating me you are terming the drive as failed," he said and added his political opponents have no option but to criticize him because they were being criticized by their constituents in keeping the city clean, he said and added that was why they were terming his work as failed.

He said that the people who were not his party workers showered rose petals and wore him ajraks and garlands just to appreciate him his effort to clear the garbage backlog. "I am sure you [media] will not show that appreiciation on your TV screen but you will on air the visuals of the garbage which is yet to be lifted," he said.

To a question, the chief minister said that he was not answerable to them [federal government] but "I am answerabale to the provincial assembly members, to my party leadership and to the people of the province," he said. He added that the cleanliness drive, they [fed govt] had launched was a bubble of hot air. They calimed to have lifted 150,000 tons of garbage but the weighing machines of the Landfill sites had totally different record, he said and added that they had taken only 13,000 tons of garbage to the landfill Site.

Manghopir Road: To a question, chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Manghopir Road was in quite critical condition and work on the scheme was going on at snail pace. He added that it was being constructed by SIDCL 9fed govt) and it was a Rs2.4 billion scheme and they have utilized Rs1.4 billion so far but still the shape of the road has not appeared.

Mr Shah said that said that KIDCL was doing its work very slow. The Green Line project being constructed by them [KIDCL] was very slow.

He agreed to a joiurnalist the some of the roads of the city were in bad shape and would be repaired or reconstructed very soon. "I have personally seen the road 12000 Road upto Dawood Chorangi for which his government has given funds to KITE to reconstruct it," he said and added they were working on the road but the work was very slow. He said that he has witnessed the condition of the road at Sherpao Colony, the area where Korangi and Malir District were divding, was in shambles. "Reconstruction of the road and repair of its sewerage system is an ADP scheme and I will release its funds within a month to start work on it," he said.

At Sherpao Colongi, near Chawal Gudam [Godown] area the chief minister met with pushcart vendors selling fruit in the area. They complained him
that the gutters were overflowing and road was in dilapidated condition. At this the chief minister showed them the overirpen fruit and its trash
they had thrown on the road and said "if you will be doing this definately the gutters would be choked and inundate the roads and develop craters into it." He urged them to keep their areas clean.