KARACHI: Unequivocally expressing his anguish at the persistent reports vis-a-vis poor sanitation conditions in the provincial capital, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Monday gave three days to the city commissioner and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator to get the city cleaned or be ready to ‘face the music’.

Presiding over a meeting held at CM House, Mr Shah said he had provided necessary funds to the KMC, district municipal corporations (DMCs) and deputy commissioners of Karachi’s six districts with the clear instructions to keep the city clean and provide water to citizens through tankers but the situation remained the same.

“Sorry to say,” Mr Shah said, “nothing has been achieved of the goals I had assigned to you, so far.”

“The commissioner and the KMC administrator should take every possible means to clean the city. They should put their effort to lift garbage from all the neighbourhoods of the city no matter in which DMC they fall.

Three-day deadline given to commissioner, KMC administrator to clean city and ensure water supply to all neighbourhoods

“Get [your] entire machinery and human resources hired for the purpose involved to accomplish this task; otherwise everyone should get ready to face the music.

“We have no need of those sanitation employees in the municipalities who do not perform despite drawing their salaries,” he said and asked the KMC administrator and the commissioner to mobilise DMCs, deputy commissioners and all the staff concerned on a war footing.

“Get all this done within three days,” he said.

The meeting was informed that the KMC and DMCs had an army of sanitation workers along with the required machinery that could clean the city and lift the heaps of garbage from the collection points to landfill sites swiftly.

“The Sindh government keeps providing additional funds to the KMC and DMCs for the salaries of their employees and cleanliness of their designated neighbourhoods but they are still not performing,” said Mr Shah.

He added that he had personally visited various parts of the city and found heaps of garbage everywhere. “This is simply not acceptable, especially when we are investing in so much money to make Karachi a clean town. I ask everyone to start work in real terms, clean the city, lift the garbage and report to me, otherwise I would relieve every official concerned and would take action against every non-performer,” he said.

The chief minister also expressed his dissatisfaction over the free water tanker service in the neighbourhoods facing water shortages. “Improve this water tanker distribution system in a way that it benefits everyone in Karachi. A majority of people in this city are poor and they cannot afford to purchase water,” he said and asked the commissioner to furnish him a detailed report.

Local government minister Jam Khan Shoro, principal secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, additional secretary (development) Mohammad Waseem, local government secretary Baqaullah Unar, Karachi commissioner Aijaz Ali Khan, KMC administrator Laiq Ahmed, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board managing director Misbahuddin Farid attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2016