Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed district administration of Karachi to expedite on-going cleanliness drive and submit their proposals for making it sustainable, otherwise the entire exercise would fail to create an impact.

He said this on Wednesday while presiding over a meeting on on-going garbage lifting drive here at CM House. The meeting was attended by chief secretary Mumtaz Shah, the provincial ministers, advisors and special assistants assigned monitoring work of the drive, secretary local government Roshan Shaikh, commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahalwani, MD SSWMA Asiaf Ikram, MD Water Board Asadullah Khan, all six deputy commissioners and others.

The chief minister was told that from September 21 to October 8, 2019 total 450,896.51 tonnes of garbage has been lifted by deputy commissioners and the Solid Waste Management. Only Solid Waste Management has lifted 205,805.51 tonnes from temporary GTS and dumped it at landfill sites.

The DC Central has almost cleared the entire backlog and was assigned to have another round all over his district to remove remaining trash, if any. The chief minister directed DC Central to find out suitable points where dustbin could be constructed.

The deputy commissioner Malir said that he has cleaned around 75 percent garbage from his area and still he has to continue his drive. He said that he has constructed some dustbins even then people prefer throwing their trash on the main road. The chief minister appreciated his tree plantation along with garbage lifting work.

DC East in his report said that his entire district has been cleaned and somewhere in the area new garbage heaps were emerging. At this the chief minister asked him to activate his DMC and monitor performance of SSWMA. 'It becomes the duty of DMC concerned to ensure proper cleaning by SSWMA," he said.

DC Malir said that his district was worst in terms of garbage heaps but with his constant efforts he has cleaned main roads of Bhains Colony, Malir 15 and rural areas. He said that he has constructed some dustbins even then people prefer throwing their trash on the main road. The chief minister directed the DC Malir to start tree plantation on the main road of Bhais Colony and also wash the bridges located in his district. "I don't want to see dust and trash lying on or along the roads," he said.

Shah directed Minister Katchi Abadies Murtaza Baloch to personally monitor cleanliness work by involving DMC Malir and Karachi District Council.

DC South said that their district have almost been cleared but some shopkeepers and food streets at Boating basin and other areas were throwing their trash on the roads when they close their shops at night.

The chief minister giving clean instruction to the Commissioner directed him to inform all the builders to remove their debris on their own. He said that those who refuse seal their buildings and stop their construction work.

CM also directed the DCs to ensure that every shopkeeper must put a dustbin at the gate of his shop where they and their customers put the trash. "I am directing you to start imposing fine who violate the code of conduct of throwing trash," he said.

The minister pointed out that some of the roads which have developed craters and have overflowing gutters did not give clean look despite lifting garbage from the area. At this the chief minister directed MD Water Board to start improving their sewerage system. "First you have to improve you sewerage lines and then I would start construction of roads there," he said.

The chief minister directed local government Minister to direct Water board to prepare a detailed over hauling plan

of sewerage system and submit that to him in the next meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019