KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed local government department to work out a detailed plan for cleanliness of 555 stormwater drains on the same model as the Mehmoodabad and other drains.
“The cleanliness model of Mehmoodabad and Gujra nullas was a complete package under which not only encroachments were removed but the affected people have been compensated and roads are being constructed along the embankments,” he said while presiding over a meeting of Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee (PCIC).
The meeting was informed that the anti-encroachment drive along the Mehmoodabad nullah started on January 4 and both sides of 7.5 km each have been cleared, while 49 out of 56 compensation cheques have been distributed.
Commissioner Karachi Naveed Shaikh briefed the meeting said that apart from Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC), there are 514 drains in the city and cleanliness on 298 drains would be started. He added that the cleanliness work would cost around Rs430 million and the DMCs would utilise Rs119 million and the remaining Rs316 million were required.
The chief minister directed Local Government Minister Nasir Shah to submit the requirement so that the funds could be approved and released.
Vice Chancellor NED Dr Sarosh Lodhi said the total drainage network of 39 drains spread over 229.12 km in length. He added that he has already submitted a detailed survey report of Manzoor Colony drain, Gujjar drain, Orangi drain and their distributaries. He said the survey report of the remaining 25 drains was being prepared.
He said Saadi Town was inundated in the last heavy rains when the rainwater had overtopped the Super Highway. He suggested constructing a separate stormwater drain from Saddi Town to discharge in the Lyari River. The chief minister directed the local government department to work out a detailed plan for the restructuring of stormwater drain.
The meeting was informed that 3957 structures have to be removed along the Gujjar nullah. The length of the Gujjar Nulla is 12.6 km while soft encroachments were removed from February 8-18th and a full scale encroachment removal drive is ongoing.
The chief minister was told that out of 3,957 compensation cheques, 3587 have been distributed among the affected people and the process for handing over the remaining cheques was in progress.
The Gujjar Nulla is six km long where 1,013 structures have been identified to be removed. The soft encroachment has been cleared and full-scale removal has been started from March.
