KARACHI, Oct 26: The city government has decided to make special arrangements for sanitation, lighting, parking and provision of other necessary facilities at all the city graveyards on the eve of Shab-i-Barat.

Camps will be set up at all the main graveyards where officials of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, Water and Sewerage Board and other concerned departments will be present to help those coming to offer Fateha.

The decision was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the District Coordination Officer, Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, and attended by the Town Municipal Officers of 18 Towns.

The DCO asked the officers to provide every possible facility to people visiting the graveyards and to ensure that roads leading to the graveyards are repaired by that time. He also directed special parking arrangements at the roads passing near Issa Nagri, Shershah, Tariq Road, Shah Faisal Colony and Sakhi Hassan graveyards for the smooth flow of traffic.

The TMOs were advised to keep liaison with the elected representatives as well as the concerned committees of the graveyards, organizations and NGOs of their respective areas, hold meetings with them and take immediate steps for resolving problems pointed out by them.

Reviewing the sewerage problem in the surrounding areas of graveyards, it was decided that the KWSB would resolve the problem on a priority basis and take steps for draining out filthy water from all such areas. Moreover, the KESC would ensure proper lighting arrangements.

TMO Baldia Town, Ghulam Hussain Memon, informed the meeting that sanitation work in the graveyards falling in the limits of Baldia Town had already been started with the cutting and removal of wild plants and over two hundred bulbs have been installed for lighting purposes.

TMO North Nazimabad, Nazir Bhutto, said that sanitation work in the three graveyards of Paposh Nagar and Sakhi Hassan would be completed by Saturday. Since there was leakage of water at Sakhi Hassan, the KWSB officials have been approached to repair the leaking pipeline, he added.

Sanitation work at the two graveyards of Liaquatabad has also been started, the concerned TMO, Ishrat Siddiqui, told the meeting, adding that all arrangements, including that of lighting, would be finalized in time. A similar report was furnished by TMO Shah Faisal Colony, Ali Muhammad Shaikh, who said that sanitation work, including removal of weeds from graveyards, was well underway.

After the difficulties in making lighting arrangements at the Azimpura graveyard were pointed out, it was decided to lay a cable for provision of power connection. The concerned officials were asked to take immediate steps in this regard. TMO Gulshan Town, Matanat Ali Khan, informed that help of the traffic police is being sought to ensure the uninterrupted flow of traffic at Issa Nagri and Tariq Road graveyards.—PPI