LARKANA, Aug 5: The chairman of the Sindh Peoples Development Committee for Larkana district, Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Ayaz Soomro, expressed his displeasure at the North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC) and gave it an ultimatum of 48 hours to drain standing rainwater from the city.

Presiding over a meeting at the circuit house on Monday, Mr Soomro said that if the rainwater standing at 23 different places in Larkana city was not pumped out within 48 hours then the provincial government might consider terminating its contract with the municipal company.

He said that the shortage of NSUSC staff coupled with the electricity breakdown during the Saturday rain had left pumping stations inoperative and water had accumulated in the low-lying areas.

The NSUSC officials, who were also present in the meeting, promised to drain standing rainwater from the city within the stipulated time in the presence of Larkana deputy commissioner Umar Farooq Bullo.

The MNA asked the works and services department to repair the fallen portion of the bridge over the Rice canal passing from Badah Town and called on the National Highway Authority to immediately link storm drains so ensure quick recession of water from the city.

Sukkur Electric Supply Company’s superintendent engineer Ghulam Haidar Mirani informed the meeting that 32 power feeders originating from three grid stations were working well and the duration of loadshedding has been reduced from 12 hours to only eight hours.

Meanwhile, before the meeting on Monday deputy commissioner Bullo visited various rain-affected areas and warned officials that FIRs would be registered against them if they demonstrated any slackness in work.

While visiting various areas in the city including Gajanpur, Attaturk Memorial Tower, Nazar Mohallah, Allahabad and Jiles Bazar, he stressed that pumping machines be kept in operation round the clock and alternate fuel supply should be arranged. He also visited the bridge on the Rice canal near Badah, which suffered damaged in the Saturday rain, and asked the works and services department to repair the caved-in portion of the bridge as soon as possible so that heavy traffic could pass through.

He informed the meeting that rain emergency had been declared in Larkana and municipal staff had been called back from leave.