Karachi     -     Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in order to make the on-going cleanliness drive sustainable has directed local government department to seek proposal from DMCs for undertaking door-to-door garbage collection through local contractors so that Sindh solid Waste Management Authority may be assigned collect from dustbins to onwards.

He issued these directives on Saturday while presiding ove a 6-hour long meeting to review progress of month-long garbage lifting drive and to make it sustainable to keep the city neat ad clean. The meeting was attended by Minister Labour Saeed Ghani, Advisor to CM Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahlwani, Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh, DG SSWMA Asif Ikram, MD KWSB Asadullah Khan, all chairmen DMCs and their MCs and deputy commisisoners. The chief minister after through discussion and deliberations concluded that the actual issue was door-to-door collection of garbge and throwng it into dustbin. He added that the DMCs were responsible for cleanliness work, therefore door-to-door collection of garbge may assigned to DMCs with the directives to outsorce it [front-end agrabeg lifting] and then monitor the contractors to keep their area neat and clean.

Murad directed Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh and Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahalwani to sit with all the chairmen DMCs along with concerned deputy commissioners and discuss the proposal and work out recommednations and submit him a report or approval. He added that “I have seen all over world that garbage is not lifted door-to-door but people of the area go to dump their garbage bags into dustbin palced at the corner of their street or into the vehicles which visit the areas once or twice a week.” He added that in our country people did not demonstrate responsible attitude in throwing domestic trash.

The DMC chairmen unanimously told the chief minister that their most of the refuse vehicles/garbage collecting machinery, big and small, were off the raod and those should be repoaired to use  them for front-end collection. At this the chief minister directed Secretary Finance to arrange funds and release them. He also directed Secretary Local Government to send him a summary for repair of vehicles of the DMCs and District Council Karachi lattest by Tuesday.

The DMcs also said that their most of the funds were deducted at-source to pay their electricity bills, therefore they were facing serious probelms. At this the chief minister directed secretary finance, secretary energy and secretary Local government to have a meeting with K-Eletrict and reconcile their electricity bills so that their geneuine meter reading could be made. “Oh yes, installation of meters is very important because average reading has no basis of the consumption,” he said.

On the request of the DMCs, the chief minister allowed them [DMcs] to appoint sweeping staff on daily wages basis. “I know that the DMCs are facing shortage of sweeping staff, therefore recruitment of sweepers be made on daily wages basis or through a contractor services of sweepers hired,” he said.

Slaughter House

In the meeting it was pointed out that the slaughter house spreading over 50-acre was lying redundant in Malir. AT this the chief minister said that it meant the slaughtering of animals all over the city was taking places illegally. He directed Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh to discuss the matter with Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar and make the slaughter house functional and operate it on professional basis.

Digging of new roads

It was pointed out that some raods constructed recently have been dug out to lay utility cables or for other purpose. “I have notice that a portion of newly constructed University Road has been dig out and after laying utilitycable etc has not been repaired. “I will take strict action against the concerned officer who have failed to get the road reconstructed again,” he said and added he would visit the city on Sunday morning and take the Mayor Waseem Akhtar with him and would visit the road. “If I found it unrepaired I would take action then and there,” he said.

Garbage Collection

The chief minister was told that all the six districts have lifted 283,319 tons of garbage from Sept 21 to Oct 11, 2019. The drive would continue till Oct 21 and then the cleanliness work has to be made sustainable.

The deputy commissioners in the report duly approved by the concerned DMCs chairmen said that almost 80 to 90 percent backlog of the garbge has been lifted and the reaming backlog would be cleared by the Oct 21, 2019.

Water Board

The chief minister said that he has received a number of complaints that at Malir-15 bridge gutters were over flowing and the road has developed wide craters. The MD water board told the chief minister that the KDA was working there and with completion of their work they would replace old lines o gutters with new one and then road would be constructed. This would be done within next 15 days. He also directed water board to improve over all sewerage system even Katchiabadis whee Public health had worked. Murad also issued directive to the deputy commissioners to plant neem trees on the ares from where they clear the garbage.