Daily Times

KARACHI: Expressing extreme displeasure over the relevant authorities on poor conditions of sanitation across the province, the Sindh High Court has once again directed them to explain their failure.

A division bench headed by Justice Munib Akhtar said it would hear the case on day-to-day basis.

The court was hearing the petition filed by Karachi’s Mayor Waseem Akhtar seeking devolution of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board from the Sindh government to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation .

City Mayor Waseem Akhtar had petitioned the high court, submitting that the board was created under Sindh Solid Waste Management Board Act, 2014 with functions to the needs of general public.

He quoted the Supreme Court’s order in which it had ordered the devolution of the board to local bodies under the rules of business in view of its below par performance. The petitioner maintained that despite the directives of the apex court steps were not being taken to transfer the SSWMB to the elected local representatives.

He pleaded to the judges to direct the authorities concerned to transfer all the assets falling under the umbrella of the Solid Waste Management Board Act, 2014 to the local government institutions.

The court was further requested to direct the respondents to give complete details of all the funds, which they had received for the purpose of solid waste management, how the same were spent, and to appoint a reputable auditor to find the facts.

Published in Daily Times, July 11^th , 2017.