Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah vowed on Monday that he would not allow artificial price hike in the Karachi and directed the district administration to be more active, vigilant and effective.

He paid a surprise visit to busy shopping areas of Karachi, including Burns Road and Saddar area. The chief minister was accompanied by Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Commissioner Karachi Aijaz Ali Khan and Deputy Commissioner South.

At Burns Road, the chief minister visited different bakeries from where he purchased dahi bara at a rate of Rs250 per kilogramme. On his arrival, the shopkeeper presented the rate list issued by the government. He advised the shopkeeper to keep his shop neat and clean.

He visited different shops and fruit vendors and mingled with them. One of the shopkeepers took him to a street where gutters were overflowing. The chief minister directed the commissioner Karachi to issue strict directives to DMC South to clean the area and open the choked gutters.

“This is unacceptable – the streets, roads, and gutters are not cleaned unless the concerned local body is jolted,” he deplored and said he would visit the area again within next three days and would see the improvement.

He also met with a watermelon pushcart vendor and asked him to show the rate list. The vendor replied humbly that he had not received any rate list.

On this, the chief minister expressed his displeasure and directed the commissioner Karachi to ensure each and every shop, fruit and vegetable stall or push cart vendor must have rate list with him, otherwise, action would be taken against the concerned officer.

The chief minister visited different shops, streets and met with the people present there and took selfies with them and heard their issues. They welcomed him on his visit to the old area of the city.

Latter, Murad Ali Shah went to Saddar and visited a bakery, met with pushcart fruit vendors and discussed their issues with them. He heard them patiently and assured them that he would be visiting them off and on.

The chief minister directed Commissioner Karachi to expedite the construction of under construction roads of Saddar. “This is very important area and must be maintained properly,” he said.

Shah was told by the shopkeepers that the slow construction of roads has caused serious problems for them. The dust keeps flying in the air with the movement of the traffic. The chief minister assured them that the work would be completed very soon.

Syed Murad Ali Shah complained with the shopkeepers that they were throwing their trash on the road while the Solid Waste Management has put their dust being near their shops and pushcarts on the road. “This is our collective responsibility to keep our city clean.