Daily Times

KARACHI: Deputy Mayor Dr Arshad Vohra has said the city can get rid of heaps of garbage if Sindh government provides one billion rupees grant to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

He was holding an official briefing at KMC building on Thursday. A presentation in this respect was given to him by the officials of municipal service of KMC. The Deputy Mayor was told that the city’s areas can be cleaned within two months if the body gets funds for this purpose.

He said the funds are required for the contract with a Chinese firm Changyi Kangjie Sanitation Engineering Company. The officials said the funds would be utilized for repairing machinery, equipment and vehicles, fuel, up-gradation of landfill sites, public awareness drive and remuneration of sanitary employees.

A summary on the same issue was also moved by KMC some time ago on the directions of the then Local Government Minister Sharjeel Memon to the government of Sindh. But former Chief Secretary Chaudary Aijaz rejected it on the pretext of corruption.

President Sjjan Union KMC Zulfiqar Shah said the cleanliness of the city is not possible under any scheme as around 160 heavy vehicles are rusting in the department and 80 out of them cannot be repaired. Besides, the equipment is not enough to carry out this job completely.

The employees’ strength of Solid Waste Management department KMC is 433 and annual salary expenditure of these employees comes around to Rs 515 million. The KMC and six District Municipal Corporations spend around Rs 5.5 billion annually on lifting garbage.

He said first priority should be given to the welfare of employees of the department in order to encourage them for carrying out the cleaning job. Several attempts were made in past by former Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to clean the city but all went in vain due to empathic attitude of KMC officials.

Senior Director Municipal Services Masood Alam said the responsibility of cleaning the city rests on the CM as he is the Chairman of Sindh Solid Management Authority. After the transfer of powers to the CM, KMC has stopped cleaning 40 main roads in the city.