KARACHI, Feb 25: The overall sanitary conditions in almost all the 18 towns of the city during Eid-ul-Azha holidays was observed to be quite satisfactory by a team of journalists owing to timely lifting of offals from roadsides and garbage dumping sites.
Health workers were also seen spraying insecticides and putting lime at the offal collection sites under the supervision of Nazims and Naib Nazims and the officials of towns and union councils concerned.
A visit to various city areas, undertaken by journalists along with acting City Nazim Tariq Hassan, showed that except for a few places, offals were promptly removed from roads and streets by the health workers.
A number of people residing in various towns also expressed satisfaction over timely disposal of offals in their respective localities.
It was perhaps for the first time that the overall sanitary conditions even in highly congested localities, such as Kharadar, Old City Area, Burns Road, Mehmoodabad, was quite satisfactory as the newsmen who were taken to various towns without intimating the Nazims of Town administrations about such visit, did not see any offal lying on any roads or street.
The city government had provided Rs 1 million to each town administration for lifting offals and ensuring cleanliness during the Eid holidays.
Asked if the funds provided for lifting offals and ensuring cleanliness by the city government were enough to undertake the task, a number of Nazims belonging to different towns replied in the affirmative.
Most of the town administrations had generated competition among health workers by announcing cash and kind awards for those health workers who would quickly dispose of offals from their respective jurisdictions.
The towns and localities visited by newsmen included Saddar, Kharadar, Old City Area, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Keamari, North Nazimabad, Maiymarabad, Surjani, Baldia, Orangi, Chakiwara, Lyari, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulberg, Liaquatabad, Mehmoodabad, Karachi Cantonment station and Jamshed Town.
Initial reports gathered from different towns showed that over 800,000 animals, including goats, sheep, cows and few camels, were sacrificed during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha. However, a final tally of animals sacrificed during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha will be released by the city government on Tuesday.
A maximum number of 2,61,000 offals were lifted from Liaquatabad Town, followed by 1,40,000 from Gulshan Town, 91,000 from Gulberg Town, 83,000 from North Nazimabad Town.
EDO Investment Shah Mehmood Hussain Syed, who was named coordinator for having a liasion with all the 18 town administrations for ensuring cleanliness in the city during Eid days, also accompanied the newsmen.