KARACHI: Authorities overlook litter dump near secretariat
KARACHI, July 17: A big garbage dump just behind the Sindh Secretariat and Tughlaque House has become a source of nuisance for the whole area and a question mark on the atheistic and civic sense of high officials, advisers and ministers sitting in these buildings from where the affairs of the whole province are managed.
This garbage dump is situated near a semi-covered nullah; however, due to lack of boundary walls litter, garbage, construction debris, unusable old furniture and other junk could be seen strewn about the whole street. Piles of garbage also occupy the footpath along the back wall of Tughlaque House and other nearby buildings like the Press Centre. The whole area offers a stinky and offensive smell and an ugly and unpleasant scene.
This garbage dump is also a heaven for scavengers and drug-addicts. Small groups of drug addicts, especially those using heroine by injection, could also be observed busy using narcotics without any fear around the litter dump under the very nose of the provincial government higher authorities. It seems intriguing that the drug addicts have found a safe shelter for their illegal activities under the shadow of the headquarters of provincial administration. Moreover, at any point of time in the day many scavengers could be seen making their livelihood by salvaging junk from the litter dump.
It may be recalled that Sindh Chief Secretary Fazalur Rehman in a meeting of Feb 28 had ordered renovation of different Sindh Secretariat buildings and face lifting of their surrounding areas. He had instructed for lighting arrangements on the Shahrah-i-Kamal Ataturk in front of Sindh Secretariat and its backside road during night hours. He said that to facilitate the people, backside doors, gates and passages of secretariat buildings should be made usable.
The garbage dump is situated on this very backside of the main secretariat buildings, and its shifting is a must before opening of backside doors of the Sindh Secretariat and Tughlaque House.
Recently, a make-shift junkyard of old unusable furniture in the parking area behind the Sindh Secretariat Building was cleared, but again a lot of junk was thrown at the dump. On the night between Sunday and Monday, this junk also caught a big fire; however, timely action of fire brigade prevented any major loss.
This litter dump, besides being a big nuisance, might become a security risk for the sensitive buildings of the Sindh Secretariat, as presence of drug-addicts and other anti-social elements around it, or chance of a big fire, in this very important vicinity could prove very damaging. Besides, a multi-storied building near the garbage dump is reportedly being used as a storage house for medicines and chemicals, which can make the matter further aggravated.
Sources say that the presence of a chemical godown between the highly sensitive buildings of Sindh Secretariat could not be termed desirable from civic as well as security angle. It is learnt that last year some authorities had raided this godown, but later the whole matter was hushed up for reasons best known to the administration.—PPI
KARACHI, July 17: A big garbage dump just behind the Sindh Secretariat and Tughlaque House has become a source of nuisance for the whole area and a question mark on the atheistic and civic sense of high officials, advisers and ministers sitting in these buildings from where the affairs of the whole province are managed.
