KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said the surrounding areas of public and private schools have been declared sensitive which will have special security arrangements.

He was talking to the media at St Michael’s Convent School after visiting some other schools which reopened on Monday after the winter vacation.

The chief minister, who was accompanied by Senior Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, said a comprehensive security plan had been made for schools’ security.

“Police and Rangers patrolling will be made around the schools and on their routes. Some policemen in plain clothes will also be deployed there. The city government has already installed CCTV cameras. We will never compromise on the security of our schoolchildren,” he said.

Mr Shah said the schools which had small or no compound wall had been asked to erect them for the security reasons. “The police stations concerned will keep record of the lower staff working in private schools for which the school administration will have to cooperate with the local police,” he said.

Responding to a question, the chief minister said no school received any security threat. “However, we have taken extraordinary measures for the security of schools. Our children will be receiving education in safe and secure atmosphere,” he said.

Keeping in view the security arrangements made for public and private schools, the chief minister visited a number of schools in Lyari, Saddar and Clifton areas. The schools he visited included DCTO Government Secondary School, Baghdadi, Army Public School, Saddar, Links Grammar School, Clifton and St Michael’s Convent School at Boat Basin.

At the DCTO school, the chief minister appreciated the school administration for increasing enrolment and uplift of the old school building. Presently, four schools are housed in the building in both morning and evening shifts.

During the chief minister’s visit to Army Public School, Saddar, principal Mohammad Ali appreciated Mr Shah for taking an interest in the school’s security. He accompanied the chief minister during his visit to classrooms. The chief minister was pleased to see the high morale of the students.

Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Alamudin Bullo, Education Secretary Fazullullah Pechuho, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Waqar Mehdi, Rashid Rabbbani and others also accompanied the chief minister.

Housing complex built by Turkey for flood-hit people ready for allotment Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was informed on Monday that a housing complex comprising 2,120 residential units and 60 shops constructed by Turkey in Thatta and Sujawal districts for the 2010 flood-hit people was ready for allotment through a balloting to be conducted by the National Database Registration Authority.

Mr Shah was presiding over a meeting here at CM House. A nine-member committee headed by the Hyderabad commissioner was also formed to ensure transparent balloting through Nadra within 30 days.

The committee was also assigned the task to evolve a mechanism for efficient maintenance of the Turkish Housing Complex and its amenity assets within four to five weeks or till the allotment and formation of its cooperative housing society to look after the complex.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that due to the devastation caused by the 2010 flood and heavy rains in 2011, the Sindh government had borne Rs8.5 billion on relief activities.

He said during that difficult period, many individuals and organisations came for consoling and offered support but a few of them stood with commitment and Turkey was one of them, which got this housing complex constructed from its own expenses as per its commitment.

The chief minister recalled that the prime minister of Turkey not only paid a visit to Thatta but also addressed to the flood-affected people at that time for which not only the Sindh government but people of Sindh were grateful.

He said since these houses were the gift to the poor and worst-affected people of the Thatta and Sujawal districts from Turkey, the Sindh government decided that these houses could not be sold or transfer through any other means to any other person.

The meeting was informed that a list of 44,000 worst-affected people of the 2010 flood in the two districts had already prepared and balloting for the allotment of 2,120 Houses and 60 shops would be held from this list.

The complex, according to its details, comprised of 2,120 houses, six shopping centres, each having 10 shops, two schools, three mosques and one playground and the Sindh government had provided water supply, drainage, electricity and land for the complex.

The CM asked the officials not only to allot these houses but also to take care of their post-allotment affairs until this housing project got its own cooperative housing society.

He disclosed that the Sindh government was also planning other schemes to provide plots to shelter-less people, including for the poor of Thatta and Sujawal districts.

Provincial minister for Industries Muhammad Ali Malkani, Secretary to the CM Alumuddin Bullo, Hyderabad Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah, deputy commissioners of Thatta and Sujawal Agha Shahnawaz and Zubair Ahmad Channa, director general of the provincial disaster management authority Syed Salman Shah and other officials attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2015

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