HYDERABAD, Oct 14: Sindh Local Bodies Adviser Waseem Akhtar suspended four municipal officials of the city, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas on Thursday on account of their failure to properly maintain infrastructure in their areas.
He issued the orders after a visit to the city in the wake of recent rainfall and media reports that many areas had been suffering for accumulation of rainwater for 12 days.
The names of the TMA officials who have been suspended by the adviser are: Taluka Officer (infrastructure) TMA Latifabad Ali Gul Shah, Assistant Taluka Officer (ATO) health TMA City, Rafiq Rajput, ATO health Latifabad TMA Qazi Izhar and ATO Qasimabad TMA, Mohammad Ali Ursani, who was also holding additional charge of Taluka Officer (infrastructure) of Qasimabad.
The taluka municipal officers of the City and Latifabad and taluka officer (infrastructure) of the City were warned to improve their working or face suspension. The adviser took the action as he felt that the officials had not complied with his directives about removal of garbage issued during his last visit to the city.
During his Thursday's visit to Makki Shah Road, Bagh-i-Mustafa ground road, Tulsi Das drain and Gulistan-i-Sajjad, he deplored sanitary conditions and dilapidated state of roads.
He announced Rs5 million grant to be utilized by the Hyderabad Development Authority for repairing a power supply transformer and generators so that stagnant water could be drained out.
He visited those parts of the city and Latifabad where accumulation of drain water had become perennial problem. He was told by DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed and director-general of the HDA Tahir Ahmed that the issue was linked with the release of funds of the governor's package because roads in the areas would be repaired after an improvement in sewerage system.
The adviser was informed by City Taluka Nazim Moinuddin Sheikh that the Al-Raheem shopping centre road's dilapidated condition was caused by the absence of a drain which could eliminate 50 percent of problem.
Similarly, he said, Makki Shah Road had been closed for all practical purposes due to accumulation of drain water. He added that generators of Water and Sanitation Agency had been lying out of order whereas Rs1.2 million was required for improving sewerage system on Makki Shah Road before its reconstruction.
The HDA chief promised to drain out dirty water in 24 hours. Latifabad Nazim Abdul Jabbar Khan informed the adviser that the taluka municipal administration had bought pumps worth Rs1 million for Wasa and the unit-2 road was not being reconstructed due to broken sewage lines.
He maintained that stones to be used for roads were being stolen as the reconstruction had been delayed. He said that contracts were given in bulk to contractors who had unnecessarily delayed work.
REPORT CALLED: The adviser called for a report on utilisation of funds by the HDA on the Hyderabad Greater Sewerage Project launched in late 80s within 15 days and warned that if necessary, an inquiry would be ordered in the matter.
He said that out of Rs980 million, Rs500 million had been utilised in the project and he wanted to know percentage of work executed so far. He directed the HDA chief to drain rainwater out as soon as possible.
Mr Akhtar said that he had ordered an inquiry on multi-storey housing projects in Hyderabad, which was being conducted by former director of defunct Karachi Development Authority Zaigham Jafri.
The report would be submitted within one month after determining whether relevant approvals had been obtained by builders and building control rules and regulations followed.
He said that construction of multi-storey buildings in Hyderabad had been banned but even then builders were being issued NOCs for them, which was illegal. He said that the officials who had issued NOCs after ban would be taken to task.
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