KARACHI, May 7: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday called for timely production of prisoners in courts for which an adequate number of vehicles would be provided by the provincial police chief.

After getting a briefing about the home department at the CM’s House, he directed the officials concerned to ensure provision of medical facilities to ailing prisoners, and said that he would personally visit prisons to see the arrangements.

He underlined the need for improving the system, and also ordered reactivating the civil defence department.

The chief minister directed the home department officials to maintain law and order strictly across the province and curb activities of criminals and anti-social elements.

Stressing the need for a watchful eye on criminals’ activities, he said efforts be made to bring an end to tribal clashes in Sindh, particularly the upper areas of the province.

Earlier, he was given a presentation on the working of the home department.

According to Home Secretary Arif Khan, the sanctioned strength of the department is 350 personnel. The Sindh Police has the sanctioned strength of 98,148 personnel. While 87,453 personnel are already working, 10,695 vacancies exist in various cadres.

There are a total of 472 police stations in Sindh, 102 of them in Karachi region, 174 in Hyderabad region and 196 in Sukkur region.

A total of 21,806 personnel of the Pakistan Rangers are working in the province and 14,406 of them are deployed for internal security, 996 for maintaining peace at educational institutions, 803 for security at oil and gas companies and 801 for protection of the foreign consulates and residences of envoys. The Rangers’ annual budget for the year 2007-08 is Rs410.103 million.

The Frontier Constabulary has 45 platoons deployed in Sindh. Twenty of the platoons are deployed at the Central Prison Karachi, seven platoons at the Central Prison Hyderabad and nine at the Central Prison Sukkur.

Nineteen FC platoons have been deployed for the protection of multinational firms and installations for which the federal government has earmarked Rs328 million for the year 2007-08.

With a population of 38.5 million, Sindh has 3,553 mosques and Imambargahs and 1,886 religious madressahs with an enrolment of 264,169 students.

There are 535,019 Afghan nationals, 114 foreign missions, 593 key points/vital installations, 379 temples, 246 churches/hostels, 140 multinational companies, 474 petrol pumps, 97 cinema halls and three industrial zones, one each in Karachi, Kotri and Nooriabad.

The home secretary informed the chief minister that in order to curb criminal activities, a strict check was mounted on rent-a-bike dealers.

About the situation in Lyari, he said that two major gangs, one headed by Rehman Dakait and the other by Arshad Pappu, were involved in drugs trade, street crime, extortion, kidnapping-for-ransom and murders.

Regarding prisons in Sindh, he said that a total of 18,230 convicts and 15,650 under-trial prisoners kept in 20 jails with a collective capacity of 9,541 prisoners.

An additional 50 barracks, with a capacity of 75 prisoners each, were being constructed at a cost of Rs250 million, he said, adding that construction of one jail each in Mirpurkhas, Ghotki and Naushehro Feroze was under consideration while a jail in Thatta was also planned.

The chief minister was informed that there were 249 arms shops in the province — 87 in Karachi and the rest in other districts.

Among others, the meeting was attended by IG Dr Shoaib Suddle, Secretary to the CM Syed Sohail Akbar Shah and senior officials of the home department.

Separately, Commander Karachi Rear Admiral Bakhtiar Mohsin on Wednesday called on the chief minister at the CM’s House.

They discussed issues pertaining to professional responsibilities and other related matters, and exchanged souvenirs.—APP