Karachi: A top-level coordination committee-having representation of senior federal, provincial, and army officials-has recommended that the Sindh government should establish separate autonomous agencies in every major city of the province including Karachi to discharge civic functions related to waste management and building control.
The recommendation to this effect was presented as Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired the meeting here at the CM House of newly formed Provincial Coordination & Implementation (PCIC).
The PCIC was recently formed to mainly oversee federally funded development projects in Karachi.
The meeting among other officials was also attended by Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, Federal IT Minister Aminul Haq, Corps Commander Karachi Lt General Humayun Aziz.
The meeting decided that the existing agencies-Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and Sindh Building Control Authority-would continue to exist as central policy formulation bodies in the province.
It also recommended that for all the operational work related to waste management and building control, separate autonomous agencies would be established in all major cities including Karachi as has been the case of the developed international cities.
The separate waste disposal agency in Karachi will make sure that storm water drains should remain fully functional to avoid the situation of urban flooding in the city during the monsoon every year.
The proposed agency will perform their function autonomously for the entire waste disposal work from door-to-door collection of the garbage in residential areas till its disposal at the designated landfill sites.
Building control
Apart from Karachi, autonomous waste disposal agencies will also be established for the cities of Hyderabad, Larakana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad in Sindh.
The meeting was also informed that a separate building control agency was required for Karachi as there were 422 unsafe buildings in the city alone posing safety risk to their residents.
The participants of the meeting were also informed that all the buildings, which had recently collapsed in Karachi, were illegally constructed.
The meeting decided that all the new buildings, which would be constructed in Karachi, would carry a defined life span. The builder will be held responsible if in case the building collapsed before its defined life span.
Sindh Chief Minister assured participants of the meeting that the provincial government would consider all such recommendations of the PCIC favourably.
