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KARACHI, Feb 19: The City Council unanimously approved on Thursday a resolution, banning aerial firing, use of firecrackers and loudspeakers during marriage ceremonies. The resolution also says that the marriage halls must wind up their activities by 11am.
The council session, which was presided over by its senior presiding officer, Muslim Pervaiz, also demanded of the Sindh government to ensure that all the departments which were supposed to be transferred to the city government - following the promulgation of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) on Aug 14, 2001 - be devolved in the letter.
Seeking a ban on marriage ceremonies beyond 11pm, the mover of the resolution, Mohammad Junaid Mukati, said the people residing in the vicinity of the marriage halls remained disturbed late into the night, owing to aerial firing, use of firecrackers and loudspeakers.
Also, since the marriage and musical programmes continued till 2am, invitees, particularly jewellery-laden women, could be looted by criminals. And they were forced to pay exorbitant fare by taxi drivers on the return journey.
Through another unanimously-adopted resolution, the House reminded the Sindh government that a number of its departments, which were supposed to be transferred to the city government in the wake of SLGO-2001, had not yet been devolved. In the case of those that had been devolved, including the KBCA, the decisions concerning their powers had yet to be taken.
Tabling a resolution in this regard, its mover Qazi Syed Sadruddin deplored that the departments which had not yet been transferred included fisheries, cooperatives, excise, labour, population welfare and sports & culture departments.
Elaborating, he said that though two other departments, including the KBCA, had been with the CDGK the technical hitch concerning its authority had so far not been removed. He requested the government to initially invest the powers of chief executive with the city Nazim and later with the KBCA at the town level.
SCUG EMPLOYEES: The House also gave an approval to the resolution whereby it has been demanded that the sub-engineers belonging to the Sindh Council Unified Grade (SCUG), who were working in the city government's different departments and possessed the degrees BTech or BTech (Honours), be promoted to grade 17.
Moving a resolution, Siddiq Rathore regretted that although a number of employees having BTech (Honours) degrees had already been promoted to grade 17 in the defunct KDA, KWSB and KESC, the sub-engineers belonging to the SCUG cadre were being deprived of grade 17.
At one stage, some members belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan People's Party criticized the arrest of Orangi Town's former Nazim, Shahid Alam alias Guddu Bihari.
Through another resolution, the city council urged the government to suspend the SHO of Gadap Town (Maymarabad) as he had lodged a fake treason case against the Gadap Town's Union Council No-6 Nazim, Nazeer Sajid, merely to punish him and some other residents of the UC for getting a narcotics den removed from their area.
Accusing the SHO of patronizing the narcotics den, the mover and seconders of the resolution also demanded of the government to take legal actions against the SHO so that all those who were patronizing the criminals were dealt with.
