KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday said he was working hard to keep Karachi clean through removal of heaps of garbage, repairs and reconstruction of roads and improvement of the drainage system.

“Being a Karachiite, this is my commitment to me and the people of the city that my government will bring Karachi’s glory back,” he said while presiding over a meeting on the cleanliness of Karachi at the New Sindh Secretariat.

He said just after taking oath as chief minister he had visited the city to witness the condition of its thoroughfares and neighbourhoods. He had issued directives then and there to all the deputy commissioners, administrators of the district municipal corporations, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board etc to clean it by all means available.

“I must appreciate your efforts and that finally people are witnessing cleanliness but this is not enough, you [DCs and DMCs] have to do more for the city,” he said and added that he was keen to hand over the task of cleaning the city to the future elected leadership of the local bodies.

Local government minister Jam Khan Shoro said a dumper lifted 20 tonnes of garbage in a single trip. If 10 dumper trucks were engaged in every union council, particularly those where garbage had been dumped, could be cleared easily.

CM Shah said he was ready to release necessary funds for the purpose and asked the DCs and DMCs to begin their work.

The chief minister approved a Rs20 million grant for each of the six DMCs and Rs20m for SITE to launch cleanliness work in their respective areas.

“I am giving you ample amounts and would take account of every penny, so use these funds transparently,” he said. He also asked the managing director SITE to involve the SITE association in the work.

Mr Shah asked the commissioner of Karachi and project directors of various development schemes in the city to begin repairs and maintenance work of the roads for which the government had already allocated Rs1.6 billion.

“I will personally visit the areas where uplift works are in progress,” he said.

The chief minister said he wanted that everyone must work. “When government machinery would start working in time, things would automatically improve,” he said and added that every one, ministers, government officers, civil society, social workers and the common people living in this city and the rest of Sindh had to play their roles.

Later, the chief minister also spoke to the media and reasserted his commitments for good governance.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2016