KARACHI: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) continued “large-scale cleaning of Karachi nullahs” for the second consecutive day on Tuesday on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directives which the PPP government in Sindh welcomed. However, its opponent, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, asked the “federal government to intervene in Sindh as provincial authorities have completely failed”.

The NDMA said in a statement that during the large-scale desilting of the city’s storm-water drains being carried out by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and the Sindh government 4,364 tonnes of sludge was removed.

“The cleaning operation was started on Monday. There are 552 big and small nullahs in Karachi. From out of 38 main nullahs, cleaning of 22 nullahs has already been started on an emergency basis.

“The Sindh government has agreed to clean 19 nullahs of the city while FWO has been tasked to remove garbage from Gujjar, Korangi and Mowach Goth nullahs. The focus is to remove debris from 21 choked points of these nullahs. Some 24 excavators, two loaders, 90 dumpers and 224 labours are engaged in the cleansing operation,” it said.

‘Policy of cooperation’

The NDMA’s job was largely appreciated by the Sindh government as it assured all due support and cooperation with the federal body to complete its job before the next spell of monsoon rain, which was expected to hit the southern part of the country from Thursday (tomorrow).

A PTI leader calls upon the federal govt to intervene in Sindh because provincial govt has ‘failed’

“The government of Sindh will continue its policy of cooperation with all institutions for the service of the people,” said Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah in a statement.

“We appreciate the steps taken by the NDMA for Karachi. Given the boundaries of Karachi, its population and the nature of the problems, there is an urgent need for the federal government to play its role in natural disasters and extraordinary circumstances,” he said.

He said that the chief minister in his meetings with the NDMA chief had provided him with complete information about the problems of the city and ground realities and also assured him that for the betterment of the people of Sindh the Sindh government would offer its unconditional support, he added.

PTI seeks centre’s intervention in Sindh

The local leadership of the PTI demanded that the federal government “intervene” and play its role for people of Sindh.

“We are very grateful to Prime Minister Imran Khan for prioritising the solution of Karachi’s problems,” PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman told a press conference at the party secretariat called Insaf House. “After failure of the provincial government it was decided that the NDMA was given the responsibility to provide relief to the people of Karachi from the incompetence of PPP. We demand the federal government to intervene in Sindh, as the provincial government has completely failed to provide basic needs to the people,” said Mr Zaman, the city president of the PTI and an MPA.

He said that the details of the funds received by the local bodies and district municipal corporations in the last four years should be disclosed. He said it was the right of the common man to know where all that money ended up and why the situation was so bad in Karachi’s six districts.

He said that the Sindh local government department was the “most corrupt” institution and despite being in government for more than a decade the ruling PPP had failed to provide basic facilities like education, health and clean drinking water to the people of Sindh.

“Bilawal Zardari’s party has not been able to build a sewerage system in Sindh in 12 years. We believe that the PPP has lost its right to rule. Their mission is only to harm the people. The money that the PPP releases to clean the city’s drains goes to Dubai, the United States and London,” he alleged.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2020