Spokesperson for the Sindh government and Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab said on Wednesday that the Sindh Cabinet approved the fixation of 0.5 percent job quota for Transgender community in recruitment in Sindh Police.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told the Cabinet members that he wanted to bring the members of the transgender community to the mainstream.
The Adviser said that the Chief Minister while facilitating the transgender community on behalf of the members of Sindh Cabinet said that he would like to make them a useful and effective member of the society. He also asked them to keep their documents ready as from now onwards they were eligible for seeking government jobs. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said this while briefing the media after the conclusion of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over the meeting while all the ministers, advisers and relevant officers including Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Sindh Police were present during the meeting.
He said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had asked the people of the transgender community to pay special attention to their education.
Street Crimes
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Inspector General of Sindh Police Dr Syed Kaleem Imam while briefing cabinet members told that comparatively Sindh Police's performance had improved. One of the evidences of which was the improvement of Karachi's position in the world crime index comparison. He said that according to IGP Sindh Karachi was at number 6th in the world crime index in 2014, and now in 2019 it was at 70th position. The adviser told that according to Sindh Police Chief a clear decline in the incidents of street crime and kidnapping for ransom was observed in the port city.
He said that the IGP Sindh told the cabinet members that few of the biggest contributing factors for the rise in street crimes in the metropolis were the constant rise in unemployment, illegal immigrants and drug addicts. IGP said that the general public mostly avoided registering cases in public stations. According to the IGP Sindh, the traffic police collected Rs766 million from the violators various traffic rules.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed IGP Sindh to further control street crimes in Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab said. He said that the Chief Minister told IGP Sindh that when there was absolutely zero interference in the matters of transfers and postings of police officers by the Sindh government, then there should be best law and order situation in the province.
Wahab added that the Chief Minister also directed IGP to take strict action against the officers who lodged false FIRs. Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he would give awards to all those Station House Officers and Deputy Superintendent of Police who performed well in maintaining law and order in their jurisdictions, while he said that strict disciplinary action would be taken against SHOs and DSPs who failed to control crimes in their respective areas.
Wheat Price
The provincial cabinet also approved the purchase of 100,000 tonnes of wheat from Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation Limited, Murtaza Wahab told. He said that this wheat would be purchased at Rs844.50 per 100kg bag. He said that the chief minister told the cabinet members that he wanted to bring down the price of flour in the market so that poor people could get bread at low price.
He said that chief minister Sindh had also constituted a three-member committee comprising Food Minister, Secretary Food and Secretary Finance, which would address the financial issues of the food department. Provincial cabinet also fixed wheat issue price at Rs3450 per 100kgs, the Adviser told.
Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment ACT 2019
Murtaza Wahab while briefing the media told that Sindh cabinet also gave approval to the rules of Sindh Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Act 2019. The adviser told that the chief minister Sindh said that we would never allow the medico legal issues to become the reason for any injured person's death. The chief minister said that Sindh government would soon set up a fund which would be utilised for the treatment of injured persons.
Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation ACT 2019
Barrister Murtaza Wahab told that the provincial cabinet also approved the rules of Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Act 2019. According to him, the purpose of establishing this institute was to provide free therapy to those who become disabled in the accidents, while the institute would also introduce degree courses as well. Cabinet members were told that this was the first institution in civilian setup where artificial limbs were also being made. He told reporters that Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah also issued instructions on setting up of satellite centres of Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in other cities of the province as well.
CCI
Barrister Murtaza Wahab told reporters that the provincial cabinet also through a resolution requested Prime Minister to summon a meeting of Council of Common Interest. The Cabinet was told that the Council of Common Interest had not been meeting for the last 11 months. The adviser said that since the Council of Common Interest had not met for the last 11 months, no progress had been made towards resolving the water, power and other serious problems being faced by Sindh province. The cabinet was told that the Constitution of the Council of Common Interest demanded that a meeting of the Council be convened every 90 days.
Alternative & Renewable Energy Policy 2019
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that during discussion on Draft of Alternate and Renewable Energy (ARE) Policy 2019, the provincial cabinet was informed that the Energy and Power Division had formulated ARE policy 2019 under which few targets had been set. The adviser said that since 2006 AEDB, NTDC and CPPA-G could add up 2500 MW in ARE grid and now till 2025 a target of 6000 MW had been set.
Wahab said that the provincial cabinet was informed that most of Sindh's ARE projects were halted by the federal government. On this occasion, the chief minister told the cabinet that the Sindh government was also setting up a provincial grid company, Wahab said.
Chief Minister Sindh said that the Sindh government wanted that the tariff of garbage energy be cleared as well. Murtaza Wahab said that Chief Minister Sindh informed the cabinet that he was initiating setting up power plants on the garbage. Chief Minister Sindh believed that the amount of garbage generated in Karachi was so huge that it could be utilised for fulfilling the power needs of the people of Karachi to a certain extent.
SHC Judges Pension
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that while discussing the pension issue of Sindh High Court Judges, the Sindh cabinet decided that pension issues would be resolved in accordance with existing rules and regulations. The Adviser said that the cabinet was informed that in accordance with the law, the Judge who had served for at least five years would be entitled to pension.
Fare of BRT Lines
Murtaza Wahab said that Sindh Transport Department suggested to Sindh Cabinet that the fare for the journey of up to two Kms may be fixed at Rs15, while the fare for two to four Kms Rs20, for four to six Kms Rs25, for six to eight Kms Rs30, for eight to ten Kms Rs35, for 10 to 12 Kms Rs40, for 12 to 14 Kms Rs45, for 14 to 16 Rs50 and above 16Kms Rs55. According to the adviser, Chief Minister Sindh told the cabinet that the Red Line would be run on biogas so that subsidy on fares could be reduced. The cabinet was told that for the first three years the Green Line would run by the federal government.
The cabinet also approved the transport tariff proposed by the transport department and decided to accelerate work on Orange Line Project, the provincial adviser said.
Gas Pipeline
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that while discussing the issue of permission for laying gas pipeline from Aisha gas field to Golarchi, the chief minister sought all the details related to Aisha gas field. Chief Minister Sindh said that all information regarding Aisha Gas Field be obtained including how many jobs they had given to local people and how much development work it had carried out in the social sector so far.
Wahab said that the Chief Minister Sindh had directed the Energy Department to furnish all its input in this matter and only after that the matters related to the gas pipeline would be considered.
SKAA Budget
Murtaza Wahab told reporters that the provincial cabinet also approved Rs417.383m budget estimates for the year 2019-20 of Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority. In addition, he said that the provincial cabinet also approved revised budget of Rs338.663m of Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority for the year 2018-19.
Wahab said that the provincial cabinet also approved the appointment of Khwand Bux Domki as the administrator of Nindo Town in a decision. Adviser to CM Sindh on Law said that the cabinet also expressed regret over not nominating a Sindh representative in the Indus River System Authority and demanded the federal government to appoint a member from Sindh in the Authority.
He said that the provincial cabinet also while disapproving the setting up of a power plant on the CJ Link Canal termed it as a move against the provincial autonomy.
He said that the Sindh cabinet strongly condemned Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtiar's statement regarding development schemes of the federal government. The provincial adviser said that the schemes mentioned completely belonged to the provincial government and for which the loan had also been taken. He said that the obtained loan would be returned by the Sindh government as well. Therefore, he said that false statements should be avoided.
Wahhab said that the Sindh cabinet also allowed Aman Ambulances to continue to operate till June 2020. The provincial adviser said that if the federal government was serious and sincere, the K-IV water project would have been completed by now. He said that the federal government was angry with Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah because he always spoke for the welfare of the people.
Provincial advisor made it clear that peaceful protests were permissible, but the Sindh government would not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019