The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday expressed anger at the dismal situation of cleanliness in Karachi, stating that the Sindh government has completely failed in the province. The remarks came after the federal government has announced to help clean the city.
“The #Sindh government has an enmity with this city, as do the local bodies,” remarked CJP…
I agree with the Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan 100% & have been saying this for a long time. https://t.co/S4juDIFHml
— Insaf TV (@InsafPKTV) August 11, 2020
A hearing into the nullahs encroachment case was held today at the Karachi registry of the apex court. Heading the bench, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad told the advocate general Sindh that the provincial government had “turned entire Karachi into a goth”.
Meanwhile, CJP takes notice of billboard falling on Karachi motorcyclists, issued notices to the federal and Sindh governments, and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. The case has been fixed for hearing on Monday. https://t.co/nO7eOXVM9n
— Zia Ur Rehman (@zalmayzia) August 8, 2020
“The entire city is filled with filth and sewerage water,” said the chief justice angrily. “Mosquitoes, flies, and germs are everywhere. People are walking on stones [to cross sewerage water],” he added.
“In two months, Haji Lemo Goth will be cleared,” the advocate general told the court.
“How many years has it been since you have been in power?” asked the top judge. “This is our commitment towards you,” responded the provincial government’s lawyer. “Your commitment should be with the people. But what have you done with them?” retorted Justice Gulzar. “The situation is bad from Karachi to Kashmore. Wherever one goes, the situation is the same,” he added.
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He asked the advocate general about the public-private partnership boards set up at Sindh’s highways. “What is this? We can’t allow such work to be carried out. How can you award a contract to someone else?” wondered the chief justice.
The chief justice said that there was “total destruction” and that the Sindh government had “totally failed”.
Army is cleaning Karachi?
The Pakistan Army teams have also kicked off the cleanliness campaign in Karachi to assist the civil administration in removing dirt and garbage from the city’s major storm-drains.
The army-run Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) personnel initiated cleaning operation at Gujjar Nullah in Nazimabad with over 50 dumpers, cranes, and other machinery to remove the garbage, which had choked the flow of water in the drain during recent monsoon rainfall and submerged adjacent area.
As electrocution deaths in Karachi are increasing, Sindh Rangers personnel have also been deployed at the site of the drain clearance work which is led by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The garbage from the sewerage drain being immediately transferred to the landfill site. The drain clearance work has also been started at ‘Cafe Piyala’, an area in the Federal B Area of the metropolis with heavy machinery and other equipment.
Read More: Why is no money available for improving Karachi?
After the 18th amendment, argue analyst, it was made sure that the provinces took charge of the local issues and address them accordingly. However, the Sindh government has apparently failed to devise any mechanism to deal with the crisis it faces every year during the monsoon season in Pakistan. Apart from rains, the garbage in the country’s largest city has always been a big challenge. But it remained largely unaddressed. The federal government is not doing what the Sindh government should have done long ago, argue political analysts.