HYDERABAD: Division Com­missioner (DC) Mohammad Abbas Baloch in a recent meeting emphasised the need for covering all refusal cases of polio.

Presiding over a meeting of nine deputy commissioners of Hyderabad division, he said the administration of polio drops among children of five years of age should be improved.

He directed them to submit reports regarding health centres’ performance of their districts, mentioning all those health centres which lacked facilities. Problems of low-performing union committees and councils should be identified in the reports of each deputy commissioner as that would help cover all grey areas by the administration, he observed.

Briefing the meeting about the performance of Hyderabad division, Additional Commissioner-II Tahir Memon said that in 2017, environmental sample of polio remained negative.

He said that with the influx of different people in Hyderabad, the environmental sample of polio had constantly remained positive for which the divisional polio task force was taking all possible measures to control the situation. He expressed the hope that Hyderabad division would be made polio-free soon.

Hyderabad DC Fuad Ghaffar Soomro shared a micro plan of all talukas of his district and said that the number of refusal cases had considerably dropped in Hyderabad.

The deputy commissioners of other districts, who attended the meeting through video link, also shared their reports. The commissioner directed the deputy commissioners to hold different activities and celebrations to mark the World Polio Day on Oct 24. He said the best performing officers should be presented awards in order to encourage them.

The commissioner directed the DCs to control artificial price hike by taking action against hoarders in order to provide relief to people. The DCs informed the meeting about measures taken for the purpose in their districts.

The commissioner also chaired a meeting for discussing arrangements for Eid Milad celebrations.

He directed officials to ensure cleanliness arrangements around mosques, Imambargahs and thoroughfares of the rallies that were staged during Eid Miladun Nabi (PBUH) celebrations.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2020