KARACHI: The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) informed the caretaker local government minister on Tuesday that it had yet not started door-to-door collection of garbage in the metropolis.

At a meeting with Minister Mubeen Jumani, the managing director of the SSWMB informed him that work on launching the programme of garbage collection from citizens’ homes was still in progress.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the performance of the SSWMB, the minister directed the garbage disposal utility to start work on door-to-door collection of garbage as soon as possible.

“The SSWMB should start its work on collecting garbage from house to house as soon as possible so that the province can be kept clean,” he said, adding that there was always criticism over cleanliness in Karachi, and therefore, measures should be taken in this regard so that the public could see its direct benefit.

The SSWMB MD told the minister that the garbage disposal utility had started working in Hyderabad, Sukkur and Rohri in addition to all the districts of Karachi.

11,500 tonnes of trash being collected daily in Karachi, SSWMB claims

He said that 11,500 metric tons of waste was shifted to the landfill sites from all the districts of Karachi every day and agreements had been made with various Chinese and Turkish companies in this regard.

He said that SSWMB had signed an agreement in district Central in Karachi and 2,000 metric tons of garbage was being removed from the district to the landfill site every day.

The garbage disposal utility chief said that MoUs had also been signed with other agencies, including DHA and Cantonment Board, for garbage disposal.

While chairing different meetings with the heads of civic and development agencies, he said that all the authorities including Lyari Development Authority (LDA), Malir Development Authority (MDA) and KDA should use their schemes and lands in the right direction according to the law.

The heads of different departments gave the minister a detailed briefing regarding their respective departments.

Mr Jumani asked the authorities to utilise all legal means to evict the occupants from government lands.

He said that there were institutions and private people who had illegally occupied MDA and LDA lands. “This matter would be taken up in the provincial cabinet so that the occupied land can be retrieved,” he added.

The LG minister said that despite payment of the land acquired from the revenue department to the LDA, it was surprising that there was no allotment of the land. “MDA and LDA should get ownership of their respective lands in any case and the caretaker provincial government will play its full role in this regard,” he added.

He said that the department should prepare a detailed report along with all evidence to hand over MDA lands to whoever was in possession of them.

The LDA director general informed the minister that 57,249 plots had been sold to people in Hawkesbay Scheme 42, including 1,283 plots provided to journalists of Karachi Press Club.

He said that the institution was facing a financial crisis and to solve this, it was necessary to acquire the remaining land from the revenue department apart from encroachments so that new schemes could be started.

The MDA DG said that there were seven schemes under MDA, including flats in Shah Latif Town Scheme A-25. He said that the agreement reached regarding the construction had not been fulfilled even after 26 years.

The MDA chief said that 400 acres were given to the Pakistan Railways in the name of JICA project, which was not being returned to the authority despite not being a project.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2023