KARACHI: Health units, schools for coastal areas planned
KARACHI, Dec 27: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Monday announced that 25 new schools would be opened in the coastal areas of the city as part of the Fishermen Development Package for provision of basic facilities to the fishermen and their families.
He was speaking at a seminar on "Problems of Coastal Areas of Karachi and Their Resolution", organized by the Pakistan Fisher folk Forum at the Community Hall of Abdur Rahman Goth, Hawkesbay, in Gabupat Union Council.
The nazim said fishermen were benefactors of Karachi, as their forefathers laid the foundation of the city, which was now the 20th biggest city in world. On civic problems and their resolution, he held that he could not resolve all the problems faced by the residents of such a big city, single-handedly, without help of the citizens.
He demanded the Sindh Government to devolve the Fisheries department to the city government, as envisaged in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, so that the problems of fishermen of coastal areas could be resolved.
Mr Khan suggested construction of 'Karachi Southern Bypass' like the Northern Bypass from old goths of coastal area to Ghughar Crossing at the National Highway, and appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to provide funds for this bypass.
The nazim deplored that the ban on deep-sea fishing, imposed by Gen Musharraf, was not implemented, which was causing losses to the fisheries sector. He also called for investigation into the violation of the ban.
He announced to open 25 schools in the coastal areas, adding that the teachers for these schools would be selected from the fishermen localities. Besides, two mobile health units would also be introduced to provide treatment facilities to the residents of these areas.
The city nazim formed a committee comprising Town Nazim, Keamari, Zaulfiqar Younas, UC Nazim, Mubarak Sango Baloch, Mohammad Ali Shah and others, for resolution of water, gas, electricity and other problems in these areas.
This committee will submit a report to the city nazim regarding provision of basic facilities there. Zaulfiqar Younas, Mubarak Baloch, Saeed Baloch, Ayub Khaskhaili, M Ali Shah, Dr Tahira, Dr Ijaz, Sikandar Brohi and others also spoke on the occasion.
FUNDS FOR UCS: The city nazim has announced to give development funds to UCs in the next financial year in order to pass on the benefits of new system to the citizens in a better way.
Speaking at the foundation-stone laying ceremony of a water line in Kausar Town in Malir on Sunday, he said that funds allocated to the UCs of Karachi were far higher than those in other cities of the country.
"We have given Rs3.5, Rs6.4 and Rs6.4 million to each UC of the city in the first, second and third fiscal years, respectively, through which many projects, including those of water and sewerage were completed," he said, adding that it helped resolve problems at lower level, besides those, which were lying unattended over the years.
Provision of water to Kausar Town was one such example. The locality was deprived of water since its establishment 15 years ago. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board had refused to provide water to the locality giving the reason that it did not fall in its purview.
THE CITY NAZIM STATED: "I have decided to provide water to each part of the city, whether its a part of any society or cantonment as it is right of people to have clean water."
Provision of water in Kausar Town is being initiated under the Tameer-i-Karachi Programme, which would be completed in three months, and would resolve a long lasting problem of the area.
Speaking about construction of roads, the nazim said that 15 major roads of the city were being constructed, including Shahrah-i-Orangi, Manghopir Road, three roads in Lyari, besides Karsaz Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Jahangir Road, Business Recorder Road and others, on which work was underway at a fast pace.
Referring to various uplift projects completed in the city, he said that the city government had paid attention to the education sector along with infrastructure development.
As many as 34 new colleges had been established in the last three years, he said, adding this took the number of colleges in the city to 132 from 98. Likewise, standard of education was also given special priority and measure were taken to improve education, particularly in the government schools, he said.
As a result of these efforts, 1,500 students scored A-one and A grade in 2004 examination, whereas before 2001, only 45 had got such grades. Mr Khan hoped that the ratio of girls' literacy would increase due to the measures taken by the city government. -PPI
