KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that he will not allow artificial price hike in the city, directing the district administration to remain active and vigilant in this regard.

He also asked the Karachi commissioner to expedite the pace of work on under-construction roads in Saddar as this is a very important area and must be properly maintained.

He advised shopkeepers to keep their business place neat and clean and refrain from throwing trash on the road. They should rather use dustbins placed by the Solid Waste Management near their shops for the purpose, he said, adding: “This is our collective responsibility to keep our city clean.”

The chief minister issued these directives during a surprise visit to busy shopping areas of Burnes Road and Saddar on Monday afternoon. Mr Shah was accompanied by Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, his Principal Secretary Sohail Rajput and Karachi Commissioner Aijaz Ali Khan.

The deputy commissioner south joined them on Burnes Road.

The chief minister visited different nimko shops on Burnes Road, where one of the shopkeepers showed him the rate list issued by the government. He advised the shopkeeper to keep his shop neat and clean.

Murad visits Saddar, Burnes Road to check prices

Mr Shah also visited different shops and fruit vendors and talked to them. One of the shopkeepers took him to a nearby street where gutters were overflowing. The chief minister asked the commissioner to issue strict directives to the DMC South for cleaning the area and opening the choked gutters. “This is unacceptable; the streets, roads and gutters are not cleaned unless the local body concerned is jolted,” he deplored and said he would visit the area again after three days and see the improvement himself.

He also met a watermelon vendor and asked him to show the rate list. The vendor replied humbly that he had not received any rate list. At this, the chief minister expressed his displeasure and directed the commissioner to ensure that every shop, fruit and vegetable stalls and pushcart vendor must have the rate list, otherwise action would be taken against the officer concerned.

The chief minister also met the area people, took selfies with them and listened to their problems. They welcomed the CM on his visit to the city’s old area.

In Saddar, the chief minister visited a bakery, met fruit vendors and listened to their issues. He assured them that he would be visiting them on and off. People gathered around the chief minister and welcomed him.

The chief minister directed the commissioner to expedite work on under-construction roads in Saddar. “This is a very important area and must be properly maintained,” he said.

The shopkeepers complained to CM Shah that the slow pace of work was causing serious problems for them. Dust keeps flying in the air with the movement of traffic. The chief minister assured them that the work would be completed very soon.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017