SUKKUR, July 13 A multi-party conference has announced to take out a procession on July 19 and stage a sit-in outside the office of Sukkur DCO in protest against working of the Taluka Municipal Administration.

The conference was held here on Monday night in the office of the Jamiat Ulema Islam in which local leaders of various political, religious, and social organisations participated.

Leaders assailed failure of the TMA in keeping the city clean, saying that heaps of garbage and sewerage water could be seen everywhere on the city roads indicating that sanitary staff was not performing their duties.

According to them, situation is worst in old Sukkur, New Pind, Bhoosa Lane, Clock Tower chowk, Wallace Road, Victoria Market, Nawan Goth, Bagh Hayat Ali Shah, at Minara Road, Racecourse Road, Ayoub Gate and Military Road.

When the local bodies were working, the taluka municipal staff used to remove garbage through tractor trolleys on alternate days, but after coming under the control of an interim set-up, they remain absent for the whole weak.

Citizens who keep garbage in their houses and wait for its collection face a lot of problems.

Criticising performance of the sanitary staff, they said that due to their gross negligence, the ongoing mega project of water supply and drainage system could not be completed within the stipulated period of time.

They said people were suffering from different diseases, including asthma, due to clouds of dust because of deteriorated condition of roads. Smooth flow of traffic is also affected.

They said that overflow of dirty water from drains and gutters in main bazaars and trade centres was almost a daily routine.

Traders have protested against it because drain water on roads hampers trade activities.

They said the elected representatives of Sukkur district and administrators of district and taluka municipal administration were not playing their role to overcome the civic problems and did not take even notice of repeated protests.

Dr Saeed Awan, Aslam Bhambhro, Munawar Memon, Syed Sultan Shah, Yaseen Mahar and Abdul Haq Mahar Saeed Khokhar addressed the conference.