Mosques & Imambarghas: religious leaders concerned at poor sanitation conditions

Religious leaders have expressed their concerns over poor cleanliness conditions around Masajids and Imambarghas saying the holy month of Muharram is fast approaching, but both the provincial and city governments were showing negligence towards resolving water and sanitary issues of the metropolis.
At a meeting with Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar at Old Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Building on the issue, the renowned religious scholar Allama Abbas Kumaili, besides Syed Akhtar Abbas Zaidi, Allama Zohair Abidi, Syed Baqir Hussain Rizvi, Mufti Bilal Quadri, Athar Jafari, Maulana Sajid Jafari and others urged the city government to make its all out efforts to resolve water and sewerage issues around Masajid and Imambarghas during the holy month of Muharram.
They said the sanitary conditions in the city particularly at Jaloos routs, around Masajid, and Imambarghas were poor as heaps of garbage, swirling gutters and filthy stagnant water in streets of the city neighbourhoods would create hardships for devotees of Hazrat-e-Imam Hussain to perform religious rituals during the forthcoming Muharram.
They also urged the government to ensure foolproof security to Masajid and Imambarghas where processions take place. Besides taking stern actions against the banned organizations, they requested the security agencies to keep an eye on terrorist elements that are bent upon destabilizing the city's peace and creating hatred among different Muslim sects during Muharram.
Meanwhile, the Mayor said KMC had initiated different road carpeting schemes around various Imambarghas including Ancholi, Rizvia, Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan and Babul Ilm Imambargha. He said KMC had spent 70 to 75 percent of its total budget on water and sewerage infrastructure development schemes that year. He lamented that the civic entity was running short of funds since the provincial government had not provided the due share to local bodies' representatives.
In case of any untoward incidents take place during the Majalis, the Mayor said that arrangements had been made in the KMC run hospitals to ensure treatment. 'The fire brigade department is also alert. Streetlights are being installed,' he added. He said the citizens may also lodge their complaints on central control room '1339'.