MITHI: The monitoring committee formed by Supreme Court on health and other basic issues of Tharparkar on Wednesday directed officials of various departments to provide maximum facilities to Tharis in the light of directions of the apex court and its committee.

The committee led by provincial secretary for implementation and coordination Riaz Ahmed Siddiqui held a meeting with officials of health, public health engineering department, livestock, forest, agriculture and the private firms tasked with installing and maintaining reverse osmosis plants in Darbar Hall and urged them to leave no stone unturned to provide facilities to the entire desert region.

Mr Siddiqui asked the DHO to write a letter to the high-ups of the health department for more funds for purchasing medicines, free ambulance service and other healthcare facilities in major towns and big villages across the district.

He said the committee was formed by the apex court to improve Tharis’ lifestyle and provide them all basic facilities at their doorsteps. There was still need to provide more facilities to Thar so as to make it a modern district, he said.

He said that all RO plants be immediately made operational across the district and funds be provided to the private firm concerned for the installation of remaining plants.

DG health Dr Solangi told participants that “revolutionary” steps were being taken to provide modern healthcare facilities. “We are focusing on health issues of Thar and very soon the district will be a model district for required health facilities,” he added.

Mirpurkhas Commissioner Abdul Waheed Shaikh said that thanks to bounteous rains in Thar, farmers were all set to harvest bumper crops as they had enough water and fodder for the livestock.

He said that special attention was given to plant trees and discourage cutting of trees with the help of area police and forest department.

Mithi district and the sessions judge Mushtaq Ahmed Kalwar said that he and other judges were also monitoring relief activities and checking hospitals and other health units.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2019