Sindh Cabinet Decides Establishment Of Desalination Plant In Karachi

Sindh Cabinet decides establishment of desalination plant in Karachi

The new Sindh Cabinet in its maiden meeting on Monday decided to establish a desalination plant to provide drinking water to people of Karachi.

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Aug, 2018 ) :The new Sindh Cabinet in its maiden meeting on Monday decided to establish a desalination plant to provide drinking water to people of Karachi.

The meeting held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also declared Thar and some part of Umerkot as drought hit area. The meeting also decided to allocate land for graveyard in Karachi.

The meeting was attended by all the eight ministers, two advisors, Sindh chief secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and concerned secretaries.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the last government [of PPP] had passed a three months budget to enable the caretaker government to make necessary expenditures upto September 2018. "Now, we have to make new budget before September 30 and present it in the house," he said.

Talking about Suo Moto case regarding utilization of luxury vehicles, he directed the chief secretary to put the item in the agenda of the next cabinet meeting so that appropriate decision about the vehicles could be taken.

Taking serious view of water supply schemes in Karachi, the chief minister directed minister local government to initiate work on war footings to install desalination plant in Karachi so that water issue of the city could be resolved as soon as possible.

Home Secretary and IGP briefed the cabinet about law and order situation in the province.

The Home Secretary Mohamad Haroon told the meeting that over all law & order situation in the entire province was well under control. The meeting was told that necessary instructions have been issued to the commissioners, DCs, IGP, DIGPs regarding law & order, cleanliness and other arrangements during Eid-ul-Azha. All the DCs have been authorized to issue licenses to dealers/charities to purchase and sell hides/skins during Eid after necessary verification and completion of legal formalities.

The meeting was informed that list of banned organisations (schedule IV) has been publicized and provided to all the concerned authorities so that strict vigilance could be made on their activities.

Briefing the meeting IGP informed about over all law and order situation and said that movement on Sindh-Balochistan and Punjab borders was being monitored.

The chief minister directed the police to take strict measures in the entire belt of Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Dadu and near by other districts.

Secretary Irrigation Jamal Shah briefing the meeting said that due to water shortage rice crop had suffered huge loss.

The Chief minister said that Kinjhar, Haleji, Hadero and other depressions can also be developed as a reliable reservoir for water supply to Karachi and KB Feeder.

The chief minister directed provincial minister and advisors to visit barrages and get water briefing on the spot and report him.

Sindh Minister Mir Shabirt Bijarani to vist Guddu Barrage, CM Advisor Mohammad Bux Maher to visit Sukkur Barrage, Ismail Rahu to Kotri Barrage and Syed Sardar Shah and Makhdoom Mahboob Zaman to visit left bank canals of the Sukkur Barrage.

The chief minister said that he had banned cultivation of rice on the left bank of River Indus. He directed the chief secretary to get report from all the DCs about the rice cultivation on the left bank of the river so that action could be taken.

Senior Member board of Revenue Iqbal Durani briefed the cabinet on drought situation in Thar.

Drought is a period of usually dry weather that may stretch long enough to cause problems in region such as crop damage, affect livelihood of people. Taluka Mithi received only 58 mm rain during last three months, June to August.

All the 167 dehs of all talukas of Tharparkar and 25 dehs of Umerkot are calamity hit areas. The population of Thar 1,617,175 and 216,206 has been affected. In Thar 323,435 families of Thar and 43240 families of Umerkot have been affected.

The BoR recommended that government dues may be postponed, remission of government duties such as land tax, agriculture income tax. Wheat may be distributed and funds for relief work may also be released.

The cabinet decalred Thar and 25 dehs of Umerkot as calamity hit areas and decided to give them relief package which includes wheat distribution at the quantity of 50 kg per family per month. The chief minister directed the SMBR to seek drought position of Achhro Thar, Kachho and Kohistan from the concerned deputy commissioners so that the people living there could be helped out.

The chief minister also constituted a committee comprising Revenue Minister Makhdoom Mahboob and education Minister Syed Sardar Shah to visit Thar along with SMBR, provincialsecretaries of health and food and recommend relief measures so that proper support to the drought affected areas could be made.