CM Directs Local Govt To End Transition Period, Hand Over Powers To Local Councils

The Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the local Government (LG) Department to complete the transition period of local councils, which is still in progress so that elected people can serve the people of their areas

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th May, 2024) The Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the local Government (LG) Department to complete the transition period of local councils, which is still in progress so that elected people can serve the people of their areas.

He also directed the Public Health dept to prepare a scheme under which unfunctional RO plants could be functionalised in the interest of the local people.

He was presiding over a joint meeting of different departments which he convened after holding meetings of party workers in divisional headquarters. Those who attended the meeting include Minister Education Syed Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, PSCM Agha Wasif, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Secretary Energy Musadiq Khan, SMBNR Baqaullah Unar, Secretary Livestock Kazim Jatoi, Secretary Local Govt Khalid Hyder Shah, Secretary IT Asif Ikram, Secretary Excise & Taxation Saleem Rajput, Secretary Environment Ms Nabila Umar, Secretary Mines & Mineral Tahir Sangi and other concerned officers.

The CM said that during his meeting with the elected representatives of local councils in the divisional headquarters, he was told that the transition period was in progress in their areas.

Secretary Local Government Khalid Hyder Shah said that some local bodies have not completed their transition work. At this, the CM directed the local government Secretary to complete the transition at once and hand over powers to the elected representatives so that they could serve their people.

Murad Shah said that he had also received numerous complaints during the meeting against the non-functioning of the RO plants installed in various villages. At this, Secretary PHE Sohail Qureshi told the CM that in March he repaired and functionalised 140 RO plants in various districts such as 26 in the villages of Badin, seven in Sujawal, 10 in Matiari, three in Jamshoro, Dadu, eight in Karachi, nine in Mirpurkhas, 10 in Tharparkar and 10 in Tando Allahyar villages and others.

The CM was told that the repair of 140 RO plants was made from the M&R budget.

Mr Shah said that he has also received complaints from the Mirpurkhas division, particularly the villages of Tharparkar and Umerkot where RO plants were out of order. He directed Secretary PHE to get them functionalised within the next two months.

Secretary PHE Sohail Qureshi told the CM that the list of around 100 RO plants sent to him by the CM Secretariat includes the RO plants of various villages of Sukkur, Mirpur Mathelo (Ghotki), Khairpur, Naushehroferoze, Shaheed Benazirabad.

He said that repair of the RO plants, as directed by the chief minister, would be carried out by the department within two months from the existing M&R budget.

The CM directed the PHE dept to repair and operationalise 200 RO plants of various villages of Tharparkar and Umer Kot districts during the current financial year M&R budget and report to him.

Murad Ali Shah said that there was a complaint that the PHE department handed over its pimping stations and their staff to the towns but the funds for their salaries and payment of electricity bills have not been given to them. Therefore, the employees were working without salary. At this, Secretary Local Government Khalid Hyder Shah assured the CM that he and Secretary PHE dept would sit together and resolve the issue of salaries of the employees.

The chief minister directed the PHE dept to prepare a comprehensive scheme so that all the RO plants not functioning due to technical issues or for want of electricity may be envisaged for the next budget so that they could be operationalised by repairing and converting them into solar energy.

Mr Shah directed the Energy dept to talk to HESCO and SEPCO authorities not to resort to prolonged load shedding during the sweltering weather. “The rural areas of the province are in the grip of hot weather, therefore, power-distributing companies should take care of the people by not resorting to load shedding during mid-day,” he said.