KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that the shortfall in FBR revenue collection during the last three years had brought our development endeavours to standstill, therefore, various commitment of uplift projects could not be fulfilled.

This he said while talking to the media at Gharo and Thatta on Wednesday morning.

The chief minister said that he started his visit from Malir where flow of rainwater in Malir and Sukkhan nadis was affected badly by encroachments, as a result various villages such as Mohammadi Town, Yar Mohammad village, Khoie, Darsano Chhano and Hassan Panhwar were inundated.

He said that 108 people, including 22 from Khoi, 30 Darsano Chhano and 56 from Hassan Panhwar had been evacuated with the help of armed forces. “Still people in Mohammadi Town and Yar Mohammad Panhwar village are entangled,” he said and added that he had directed the Commissioner Karachi to lift them with the help of Navy and Army and provide them food and water.”

He said the encroachments on Malir and Sukkur nadis have been made so intensively that hardly 10 per cent width of the rivers were left for water to flow. “Now, we are going to remove the encroachments, otherwise urban floods would be inevitable,” he said.

Replying to a question, Mr Shah said that at Gharo rainwater had accumulated along the road and inundated its portions. “I have observed that the road needs some culverts to give passage to the water and shortly work on them [culverts] would be started,” he said.

In reply to another question, the CM said that rainwater had been disposed of from Thatta city through natural gravity and suction machines, but the solution of the issues lay in construction of a new storm-water drain.

“A storm-water drain has been included in our development plan but due to constraints of resources the work could not be undertaken,” he said.

According to the chief minister, the revenue collections by FBR are dismal — they failed to improve their collections in 2018 and in 2019 but their collections remained standstill during the said two years.

He said that now, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused serious dent to the national as well as provincial economies, therefore development works had been affected. “However, we’ll arrange funds for construction of a storm-water drain for Thatta,” he said.

The CM said that compared to last year, this year rain had caused least damages, in terms of human lives and public property.

Sujawal

The chief minister visited Sujawal where rainwater had already been disposed of but in the low-lying areas and localities such as Ismail Gurmani, Allah Warayo Sirani were submerged.

CM adviser Aijaz Shah Shirazi briefed the chief minister on the situation. The CM directed PHE secretary Laiq Ahmed to shift additional suction machines from Thatta and Badin to Sujawal for disposal of water.

Badin

The chief minister during his visit to Badin stopped at Guni-Phuleli drain which had developed a wide breach last year.

Chief Engineer Zarif Khero briefing the chief minister saying that Guni carried water of three talukas, Matli, Golarchi and Tando Mohammad Khan, and discharged further into Nareri.

The Guni-Phuleli has a design discharge of 1500 cusecs but at present 1,800 cusecs is flowing into it safely.

The people of Badin requested the chief minister to construct a separate storm-water drain in the city for disposal of rainwater and domestic waste water.

The chief minister assured the people that the feasibility study of the drain would be conducted shortly.

The chief minister also visited parts of Tharparkar district.

Meanwhile, the chief minister was told that cooked food was provided to the affected people and rehabilitation work was in progress.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2020