KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday paid little attention to the call attention notices moved by the opposition members regarding scarcity of water in Karachi and Hyderabad as the movers withdrew them in protest against the continued absence of the local government (LG) minister in the Sindh Assembly.

Though Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Department Saleem Baloch was present in the house to respond to the call attention notices tabled by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s parliamentary party leader Rana Ansar and MPAs Sadaqat Hussain, Ali Khurshidi and Syed Hashim Raza, the opposition members refused to take answers from him and withdrew their notices in protest against the absence of LG Minister Nasir Shah.

The MQM-P members said that the LG minister should have been in the house to provide solution to the problem of water shortage in the two cities.

MPA Sadaqat Hussain, who drew attention of the house to acute shortage and ‘unfair’ distribution of water in Orangi Town due to illegal connections, said that the minister was never available in the house to inform as to when the issue would be resolved.

Four MQM-P lawmakers withdraw their call attention notices in protest over continued absence of LG minister in PA

“I have come here in the assembly travelling 20 kilometers from home to find that the minister is not present,” he snarled.

Utterly disappointed by the minister’s absence, the MQM-P lawmaker requested Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari to defer his call attention notice to a day when LG minister would appear in the house.

Parliamentary Affairs Mini­ster Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that the parliamentary secretary was in the house to give reply to the call attention notice. “You can withdraw your call attention notice if you don’t want a reply from the parliamentary secretary,” he told the MQM-P MPA who did so accordingly in despair, followed by other party members.

Ali Khurshidi in his notice drew the attention of the house to the water shortage in

Orangi Town and other parts of the district West.

He said that the duration of water supply used to be increased during peak summer time, but the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board was not following its own schedule of water supply in the district and its adjoining areas.

He said that the parliamentary secretary always gave stereotyped and rhetorical replies to their call attention notices which were never up to their satisfaction. “The parliamentary secretary doesn’t have the authority to transfer even an official,” he jibed while withdrawing his call attention notice in protest.

MPA Hashim Raza said that there was an acute shortage of water in Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Model Colony and their adjoining areas as well.

He said that he was withdrawing his call attention notice in protest as done by his other colleagues.

Rana Ansar of the MQM-P also withdrew her call attention notice in which she said that water shortage had become a chronic issue in Hyderabad.

Poor facilities in industrial zones

Grand Democratic Alliance’s Nand Kumar in his call attention notice said that the provincial government had failed to provide facilities and environment for the development of industries in the province.

He said that the industries were shifted from Sindh to other provinces and asked the provincial government to ascertain the reason for this practice.

In reply to the call attention notice, the information minister said that industrial zones had been set up in Sukkur, Hyderabad, Kotri and Dhabeji.

Later, the house was adjourned to Monday.

Published in Dawn, July 22th, 2023