Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah has urged Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar to involve heritage experts in restoration of historical Empress Market in order to preserve and retain its ‘original beauty’.

While talking to the metropolis mayor on the telephone, CM Murad said Empress Market had emerged in its original state after encroachments were cleared out from its surroundings. “Now, we have to restore it. Restoration of this heritage site is the most important step which needs to be taken with consultation and guidance of heritage experts,” he said. “Sandblasting without proper guidance of experts would make British era market dull, he added.

He said that after restoration of law and order in the city, removal of encroachments was another challenging job which had been done properly and was still in progress. “The areas which have been cleared from encroachment should be made neat and clean,” he remarked. He told the mayor that the government had plans to restore all old buildings through a World Bank (WB) sponsored project in which the provincial government would also utilise its resources.

CM said that Karachi belonged to each and every one of us and we had to make it’neat and clean’ and ‘one of the best livable cities of world’. “All heritage buildings located in old areas of city would be restored in their original shape,” and scheme to restore old city from Pakistan Chowk to Saddar would be accelerated. Other areas of the metropolis would be restored in the same pattern,” he said.

The mayor agreed with the provincial chief minister and said that he was involving leading experts in the restoration work of Empress Market and its vicinity.

SFA takes action against illegal abattoirs, outlets selling open ghee

Karachi: ‘The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has initiated action against illegal abattoirs in Karachi and nine outlets selling open ghee have been also been sealed’

This was disclosed in a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary (CS) Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah on Tuesday. During a briefing, the meeting was informed that a ban had been imposed on 17 mineral water companies on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC). It was told that the sale of cold drinks was also banned in schools and other academic institutions.

The CS appreciated the efforts of SFA and advised that coordination should be maintained with PSQCA for authentication and registration of relevant commodities and food items and legal action should be taken against the defaulters to eradicate the menace of marketing these items. Mumtaz Shah told the SFA to check the substandard poultry products and antimonies species .He also stressed on the need to expeditiously ensure the functionality of food laboratory. Sindh Food Secretary Muhammad Rashid also briefed the meeting about the activities of his department. He said that the SFA had raided various manufacturing units of ice factories, food items including sweet and confectionary units and other commodities.

Published in Daily Times, November 21^st 2018.