Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in order to make the ongoing 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 to collect from dustbins to onwards.

He issued these directives on Saturday while presiding over a 6-hour long meeting to review progress of month-long garbage lifting drive and to make it sustainable to keep the city neat and clean. The meeting was attended by Minister Labour Saeed Ghani, Adviser 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 commissioners.

The chief minister after through discussion and deliberations concluded that the actual issue was door-to-door collection of garbage and throwing it into dustbin. He added that the DMCs were responsible for cleanliness work, therefore door-to-door collection of garbage may assigned to DMCs with the directives to outsource it [front-end garbage lifting] and then monitor the contractors to keep their area neat and clean.

The chief minister directed Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh and Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahlwani to sit with all the chairmen DMCs along with deputy commissioners concerned and discuss the proposal and work out recommendations 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 placed at the corner of their street or into the vehicles which visit the areas once or twice a week." He further said 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 vehicles/garbage collecting machinery, big and small, were off the road and those should be repaired 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 latest 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 problems. At this, the chief minister directed secretary finance, secretary energy and secretary Local government to have a meeting with K-Electric and reconcile their electricity bills so that their genuine 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 roads constructed recently have been dug out to lay utility cables or for other purpose. "I have noticed that a portion of newly constructed University Road has been dig out and after laying utility cable etc has not been repaired. "I will take strict action against the officer concerned who has failed to get the road reconstructed gain," he said and added he would visit the city on Sunday morning and take the Mayor Wasim Akhtar with him and would visit the road. "If I found it un-repaired 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 DMCs chairmen concerned said that almost 80 to 90 percent backlog of the garbage has been lifted and the remaining 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 of gutters with new one and then road would be constructed. This would be done within next 15 days.

The chief minister also directed water board to improve overall sewerage system even Katchi abadis where public health had worked. The chief minister also issued directive to the deputy commissioners to plant neem trees on the areas from where they clear the garbage.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019