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Karachi, December 24, 2019 (PPI-OT): Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has asked all the provincial ministers to continue to hold open public meetings in all the districts of the province. According to the provincial adviser, the cabinet had decided that from now onwards, these open public meetings would be held in two parts. In the first part, half of the vicinities of a district would be covered, while the remaining areas would be covered in the next part.
Two ministers would be sent to each district to listen and resolve the problems of the people, he said. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Sindh Chief Minister had also directed all the ministers to submit their report of the recent open public meetings they held in their assigned district. The provincial adviser said that the Chief Minister Sindh had also directed the Sindh Chief Secretary to direct all concerned officers to listen to the problems of the people in their respective district and take steps to resolve them. He said this while briefing the media persons after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The cabinet meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. All the provincial ministers, chief secretary and all concerned officers attended the meeting.
Earlier, all the provincial ministers informed the cabinet about the grievances of the people they heard at the recent open public meetings and about the steps they were taking to resolve them. Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister for Works and Services, Universities Board Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, who held an open public meeting in Hyderabad told the cabinet that, Hyderabad’s biggest problem was of sanitation and of cleanliness. Of the total 3500 sanitary workers, only 50 per cent were working, he said.
Nisar Khuhro said that the government was giving a lot of funds, but they were not being utilized properly. Provincial adviser told cabinet that encroachment and law and order were also among the major problems in Hyderabad. He said that encroachments nearby the installations of irrigation system in Hyderabad were being removed. Nisar Khuhro told the cabinet members that there were also complains of non-considering the disabled persons for government jobs.
Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh told cabinet members that people had serious reservations over the operation against the encroachments in Sukkur, provincial minister for information Murtaza Wahab said. People say that our homes have been bulldozed, which is extremely painful,” he said. Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh told the cabinet that he explained to the people that the anti-encroachment driver was being carried out on court orders, but he added that people were demanding about their resettlement.
He said that Sukkur’s major problems included the regularization of teachers, law and order and the problems related to the irrigation. Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh told the cabinet that the situation of law and order in Shikarpur was extremely poor, and that there were complaints of extra judicial killings as well. In addition, incidents of kidnapping for the ransom and motorcycle snatching were also increasing rapidly, he said.
Barrister Murtaza said that Minister for Agriculture Mohammad Ismail Rahu, who had been assigned to hold an open public meeting in Larkana, told the cabinet that people liked and appreciated the concept of the open public meetings. Mohammad Ismail Rahu told that most of the complaints he received during the open public meeting in Larkana were against the Police, Revenue, Local Government and Health Department. He said that most of the complaints were of local level, which could be resolved locally.
Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab who held an open public meeting in Naushahro Feroze told the cabinet that the people of the district complained against the pathetic condition of the government schools. In addition, barrister Murtaza Wahab said people of the district were also upset by the rising crime rate. He said that people complained that despite passing the written test, they had not received the offer letter for recruitment in Sindh Reserve Police.
Provincial Adviser said that the Minister for Human Settlements, Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, who held an open public meeting in district Sanghar, told the cabinet that the people of the district complained about the lack of education facilities in the district. He told the cabinet that although a new water scheme had been installed in district Shahdadpur, but it had not been given water connection yet. Owing to which the people of the districts were facing immense hardships.
Murtaza Wahab said that the provincial minister for industries and commerce Co-operation, Jam Iktamullah Dharejo who held open public meeting in Kashmore told the cabinet that the district’s senior superintendent of police did not attend the public meeting. Most of the complaints in district Kashmore were against the deteriorating Law and Order, Health and Revenue Department, he said. He told the cabinet that the law and order situation in Ghotki was also not in control.
Murtaza Wahab said that the provincial minister for local government, religious affairs, forest and wildlife, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, who held an open public meeting in Shaheed Benazirbad, told the cabinet that people appreciated the concept of the Open Public Meeting. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that people in Shaheed Benazirabad were mostly complaining about the Local Government Department. In addition, people who were removed from Sindh Reserve Police arrived with their complaints, he added. The provincial minister for local government proposed that as they were trained individuals therefore they should be adjusted.
Adviser to CM on law Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the Minister of Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Makesh Kumar Chawla, who held an open public meeting in Jamshoro, told the cabinet that people had made many complaints about unavailability of doctors. Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that people also submitted number of complaints about public health engineering. In addition, he said that snatching of motorbikes in Jamshoro was also becoming a major problem for the people.
Murtaza Wahab while briefing the media said that the Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Prisons and Inter Provincial Coordination Aijaz Hussain Jhakrani , who held an open public meeting in Mithi, told the cabinet that most of the complaints in the meeting were about the RO plants. Ijaz Hussain Jakharani also said that there was no survey land in Thar, and those who were influential occupied the land. He said that people also complained about shortage of medicines in Hospital in Mithi. There was a lot of people complaining about the regularization of teachers, he added. Ijaz Hussain Jakharani told the cabinet that most of the complains in Mithi included the local problems, and if the local officials pay seriously attention to these issues, all these problems could be resolved without ado.
Murtaza Wahab said that Provincial Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdul Bari Patafi, who held an open public meeting in Kamar Shahdadkot, told the cabinet that rehabilitation of schools and availability of teachers was need of the hour in Kamar-Shahdadkot. In addition, Abdul Bari Patafi said that people were also worried about jobs and demanded for that.
According to the people, police had occupied a school building which they demanded be evacuated immediately, the provincial minister said. Abdul Bari Patafi said people also had complaints about sanitation and water logging in Kambar-Shahdkot. People also complained against the local chairman of the area that he hardly attended his office, the minister said. Abdul Bari Patafi also told the cabinet that the hospital, which was built in 2006-07, had not been started functioning as yet.
Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab while briefing the media told that that Additional IG Karachi told the cabinet in his report that street crimes in Karachi had been adequately controlled. The provincial adviser said that according to Additional IG Karachi, people did not record their statements regarding street crimes, which was causing problem in controlling street crime. According to Additional IG Karachi, over 3000 people had been arrested in the last three months who were involved in crimes related to narcotics.
Some of them were in prison, while some had been sent Edhi Home, he said. Additional IG Karachi said that the arrest of criminals involved in narcotics would help control street crime in Karachi. Murtaza Wahab said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed Additional IG Karachi that do whatever needed, but Karachi should be absolutely clean off the street crimes.
Chief Minister Sindh was of the opinion that police officials had to restore their confidence in the citizens, Murtaza Wahab told. The Sindh Chief Minister appreciated the police action against the narcotics maniac criminals. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah directed Additional IG Karachi that he would never accept any illegitimate recommendation of any individual of the government functionaries. CM Sindh also directed Additional IG Karachi that he wanted peace in Karachi in any case, the Adviser said.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab told the journalists that the Cabinet also approved Sindh Language Authority Rules, 2019 at its meeting. According to the Adviser, according to the rules, the chairman of the Language Authority would have a PhD in Sindhi, and his tenure will be for three years. The salary package of Sindhi language authority’s chairman package would be equivalent to Grade 21 officer, and he must be between 45-55 years old, he added.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab also told that the Cabinet decided that the issue of variation between urban valuation tables of Federal Board of Revenue and Board of Revenue Sindh, for Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur would be settled in next year’s budget. The cabinet was briefed on the proposal to equate the urban valuation table of Karachi Hyderabad and Sukkur with that of the table of FBR.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab also told that, after discussing the change in the terms of allotment of non-agricultural land, the Cabinet approved the 8reservation committee’s proposal for changes to various clauses.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the cabinet after discussion also approved the up gradation of the posts of computer operator, data entry operator and data processing officer. He said that the post of Computer Operator and Data Entry Operator had been upgraded to Grade 12, while the post of Data Processing Officer had been upgraded to grade 17. Qualifications and training for these positions had also been determined, the advisor said.
Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Law Barrister Murraza Wahab told that the Cabinet also approved the procurement of mini palm oil extraction mill. Adviser said that, according to cabinet’s decision, procurement of this mill had been exempted from following the rules of Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the chief minister while praising this mini mill project said that its success would reduce the import bill. Chief Minister Sindh said that if the project remained successful then he would also allow to plant palm oil on 2,000 acres of land of Forest. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said the worth of this mill was 5.5 million rupees.
Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister informed that the cabinet also ratified water use agreement between Sindh Government and Thar Coal Block – 1 Power General Company Pvt (Ltd). Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Sindh Chief Minister also directed the Energy Department to appoint a Transition Advisor. He said Minster Energy had requested the cabinet to ratify the agreement so that the power companies could finalize their closings by December 2020.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said in his briefing that the Cabinet had decided to exempt the low cost housing schemes, both provincial and federal, from sales tax on services. He said these houses would have a covered area of 50 and 100sq feet. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the Chairman of Sindh Revenue Board briefed the cabinet and said that he had two meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan in this regard, and in those meetings the Prime Minister had suggested that the provincial construction services be exempted from sales tax on services.
The provincial adviser on Law said that a committee had also been formed to review the levy of Sindh Sales Tax on services on development schemes. He informed that the committee would be headed by the Chief Secretary, while chairman SRB and secretaries of Works and Services and Irrigation would be the members of the committee.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the Chief Minister Sindh also directed Advocate General Sindh to urge the courts to allow alternative arrangements to be made before demolishing the house in connection with the encroachment drive. He said that Chief Minister Sindh believed that displacing anyone in this cold weather was extremely painful. The Chief Minister Sindh also set up a committee comprising the Minister for Revenue, Minister for Kachi Abadi, Minister for Resettlement and Chief Secretary Sindh, to assess the losses of the displaced persons, the advisor said. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah had issued directives to provide tents, blanket and other essential goods to the displaced persons immediately.
The Adviser also told that Sindh Chief Minister briefed Cabinet members regarding the recent meeting of the Council of Common Interest. Chief Minister Sindh told cabinet members that there would be another committee headed by Attorney General Pakistan regarding the settling of the issues distribution of water, which would present its report at the CCI’s next meeting. Chief Minister Sindh said that in connection with the Alternate Energy Policy, the Prime Minister directed the Federal Minister to speak to the provinces first and then present ir in the CCI. The provincial chief executive told cabinet members that he also requested the CCI to release funds of Vertical programs of Health.
Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that there should be a meeting of Council of Common Interest every three months. Responding to a question about Inspector General of Sindh Police, Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the IG would explain his position himself. He said that IG was on leave due to illness. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that when the IG appeared in the meeting of the Public Safety Commission, he apologized for not coming to the previous meeting. The provincial adviser denied that three names were given for IG Sindh.
For more information, contact:
Sindh Information and Archives Department
Government of Sindh
95-Sindh Secretariat 4-B, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-99204423, +92-21-99204401
Email: pressinformationzubair@gmail.com
Website: http://sindhinformation.gos.pk