KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet on Saturday approved an amendment in the police rules and handing over of four hospitals of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to the provincial health department.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over a five-hour-long cabinet meeting and took important decisions including procurement of security featured number plates for vehicles and reduced cotton fee from Rs20 to Rs10 per 100kg.

The cabinet approved a proposal to take over four KMC hospitals — Gizri Maternity Hospital, Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, Gazdarabad General Hospital in district South and Landhi Medical Complex in district Korangi — along with their staff and hand them over to the Sindh health department.

The KMC spends around Rs800 million on the operation of these health facilities but due to financial issues it could not operate them properly. The KMC could not even pay salaries to the employees. With its consent, the Sindh government took over the health facilities.

Change in police rules stops law enforcers from arresting people simply on basis of FIR

The chief minister said that the provincial government would not take Rs800m from KMC for running its hospitals but his government would give additional Rs603.158m to the health department to operate the KMC hospitals.

The cabinet also directed the local government department to select more such health facilities particularly of district councils and others so that they could be given to the health department for their proper operation.

Amendment in Police Rules

The cabinet on the recommendation of the inspector general of police (IGP) approved an amendment in Rule 26 of the Police Rules 1934 envisioning to stop police from making arrest of a person merely on account of registration of an FIR.

Now, after the amendment, it provides for police officers to collect credible evidence of involvement of a suspect in the crime and seek approval from a senior police officer beforehand.

This amendment would stop police from making unnecessary arrests.

The cabinet in order to provide protection to and prohibit violence against healthcare service providers and to prevent damage or loss to property in healthcare service facilities approved the Sindh Healthcare Service Providers and Facilities (Prevention of Violence and Damage of Property) Bill 2021.

No person/heirs of a patient would be allowed to torture, harass or mishandle a medical officer or relevant hospital staff under the pretext of providing wrong treatment or negligence in respect of their patient.

The agriculture department told the cabinet that the cotton fee had been increased from Rs10 to Rs20 per 100kg from 2019. It was pointed out that the Punjab government was charging cotton fee at Rs10 per 100kg.

New number plates

The E&T department gave a detailed briefing about the security featured number plates for all kinds of vehicles to be manufactured by the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC).

The cabinet approved a proposal to negotiate with the NRTC for procurement of security featured number plates for all types of vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers.

The chief minister directed the excise department to expedite the matter so that security number plates could be issued to the vehicles in the province.

The cabinet was told that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had requested the provincial government to exempt the storm-water drain project from Sindh Sales Tax (SST).

The Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) had worked out that the exemption, if approved, would be around Rs1.2 billion. The cabinet opposed the exemption request on the pretext that it would set a new trend. Therefore, the chief minister proposed that the Sindh government should pay the SST amount on behalf of the NDMA since the project was being carried out in Karachi. The cabinet approved the proposal.

Authority to regulate graveyards on the cards

The cabinet approved allotment of 10 acres to the Masjid-i-Rizwan Trust for the purpose of a graveyard at the rate of Rs100,000 per acre at Deh Mowach, taluka Mauripur, district Keamari.

The chief minister directed the local government department to work out a plan to establish an authority to allot land to graveyards and regulate them.

The cabinet on the request of the Chinese Consulate General approved a proposal to hand them a vacant plot of the Institute of Pakistan Tourism and Hotel Management, located adjacent to the consulate.

In exchange for the plot the Chinese mission has offered to give a 2,000 square yards plot to the culture department. The cabinet approved the proposal.

The LG department told the cabinet that the Karachi District Council (KDC) had recommended to de-notify their three union councils — UC Mowach, UC Gabopat and UC Lal Bakhar — and declare them as union committees and make them part of newly created DMC-Keamari. The cabinet approved the proposal.

The cabinet approved a proposal to allow the chairmen of Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (BISE), Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas to continue as chairman of their respective boards till the regular appointment of the new officials through the search committee.

A similar decision was taken by the cabinet to allow Dr Faizullah Abbasi, the vice chancellor of the Dawood University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi to continue as the VC till the appointment of a regular one.

The cabinet approved an amendment in the motor vehicle laws under which the definitions of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor/way of operation of the BRT had been inserted.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2021