KARACHI, Feb 9: City Nazim Niamatullah Khan has directed the Karachi Building Control Authority to keep removal of encroachments and demolition work suspended during the month of Muharram.

The works and services department of the city government has also been directed not to start digging work on any road in the city.

The city nazim was chairing a meeting held to review arrangements for Majalis-i-Muharram and processions on Tuesday night.

The meeting was attended by DCO Fazlur Rehman, KWSB MD Brig Iftekhar Hyder, EDO Works Sarfaraz Shah, Project Manager of Taameer-i-Karachi programme Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, Qazi Sadruddin, town nazims, TMOs, TPOs, and officials of traffic police, civil defence, fire brigade, KESC and other departments.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of ulema belonging to different schools of thought.

Niamatullah Khan stressed on ensuring security for mourners, uninterrupted supply of water and power and cleanliness around imambargahs and along procession routes.

He directed the officials concerned to complete the ongoing road-building work expeditiously besides cleaning the procession routes and installation of street lights.

The nazim told the officials not to start work on the second track of Jehangir Road before Ashura and the work in hand be completed on preferential basis. He called for erasing of wall-chalking.

DCO Fazlur Rehman informed the meeting that instructions had been issued for clearing of sewerage lines and availability of water to mourners.

Disciplinary action would be taken against anyone showing laxity in the discharge of his assigned duties, he said.

The meeting noted that town nazims had enforced emergency in their respective areas and cancelled leaves of all concerned staff.

KWSB MD Brig Iftekhar stated that arrangements for maintaining proper sewerage system in areas falling in procession routes had been finalized and complaint centres had been set-up in at the KWSB offices and other places in the city in this regard.

TPOs informed the meeting that a security plan had been chalked out for ensuring protection to imambargahs and participants of processions. Sensitive points had been identified and fool-proof security measures taken, they added.

KESC officials announced that no load-shedding would be carried out in the localities housing imambargahs and the places where majalis had been organized.

People have been advised to dial '15' for police help, 115 for traffic police assistance and 118 for KESC. Besides, a complaint centre has been set-up at Civic Centre which could be approached by dialling '134'.-APP