KARACHI, July 8: The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday expressed concern over the failure of civic agencies, particularly the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, the Hyderabad Electric Supply Corporation and the Water and Sanitation Department for failing to provide relief to the people.
The cabinet, which met here at the new Sindh secretariat with Chief Minister Ali Muhammad Mahar in the chair, reviewed the situation created by the rain in the city and elsewhere in the province and noted a lack of crisis management as no civic agency was found capable of meeting the situation.
Stressing the need for a comprehensive planning to meet such situations, the chief minister ordered to set up relief camps immediately in inundated localities and pay compensations to the affected families of the victims of the rain.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Secretary Information Sindh, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, said the discussion in the meeting revolved around the law and order situation with focus on the performance of the KESC.
She said the chief minister had ordered DCOs, Nazims and police officials to be on high alert in the interior of the province to take immediate relief measures.
She said it was observed that the KESC had failed to provide relief to the people in the current hot weather, forcing them to come out on roads to protest against long durations of power and water supply disruptions, which had resulted in a law and order situation.
IGP Syed Kamal Shah and Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakkil Kazi briefed the cabinet on the law and order situation with reference to the effects of the monsoon rains.
DIG traffic said that Monday’s traffic jam in the city was the outcome of the power failure which had rendered traffic signals useless, and to make matters worse, water had inundated roads.
In reply to a question, Ms Mehtab Rashdi said the cabinet discussed the proposal regarding representation on the board of governors of the KESC through nominations of MNAs or MPAs, so that the issue of power failures could be raised in the board’s meetings.
The meeting observed that the performance of HESCO was equally disappointing; in the low-lying areas of Hyderabad including Latifabad, for want of a drainage system, water had accumulated, worsening the situation.
Discussions due on reports of different subcommittees on the denationalisation of Khatoon-i-Pakistan Girls School, amendments to SLGO, payment of liabilities, establishment of the revenue authority, withdrawal of powers of the Sindh Public Service Commission for appointment of 11 to 16-grade officials and the Saddar Cooperative Market were deferred till the next meeting.
However, the cabinet approved the Sindh agro-forestry policy in principal and directed the law department to prepare a draft to amend the Sindh Forest Act 1927 and submit it to the cabinet for approval.
Decision on the plea by the Shaheen Building Association Ltd for enhancement of the lease of the incomplete structure of a sports complex at M.A. Jinnah Road was also deferred till presentation by the firm.