Protests over disconnection of water, power supplies: Administration asked to ensure law and order

Commissioner of Karachi, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui directed the Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners, pertaining to different districts of the city, to ensure that disconnection of power supply or water to the people failing to pay their bills may not trigger any law-and-order situation. Chairing a meeting in his office on Friday, he directed the concerned officials to be extremely vigilant and ensure that any sit-in taking place in their respective areas of jurisdiction by protestors is peacefully dispersed and their grievances addressed on humanitarian grounds.
"You must immediately come into contact with the organisers of these sit-ins and the participants as well as concerned agencies including Karachi Electric, KWSB, etc, to see that the issue is amicably settled," said Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui. In this context, he said people unable to clear their bills must be engaged into an arrangement under which they may necessarily clear their dues in instalments and that their genuine complaints about inflated bills are also addressed.
The Commissioner said administration must also take upon itself the responsibility to ensure safety of the officials and staff of concerned utilities. He on the occasion also urged the project directors of different development schemes, particularly those engaged in construction of Malir highway to get it completed in time. "You must ensure timely and quality completion of the Malir flyover so as to end difficulties faced by commuters passing by the project site," said the commissioner.
He said security of staffers and personnel belonging to different utilities as well as development projects underway in the city is a joint responsibility of administration and the police. "I will also approach the Karachi police authorities to increase police patrolling around the project sites during night hours besides the usual security in day," he said. The meeting was attended by senior officials of Karachi administration along with those belonging to KE, KWSB, KMC, Karachi Police, Traffic police, project directors and so-forth.