The city’s new administration is striving to bring an end to the menace of pollution, littering, profiteering and encroachment, Karachi Commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh said on Friday.
Speaking at a ‘meet the press’ session at the Karachi Press Club, he hinted that dumping and torching of garbage at places other than the designated landfill sites may become criminal offences as the city’s administration is mulling to impose Section-144 on these acts.
“These acts cause pollution in the city and create immense hardships for the residents of the city. Therefore, there is a dire need to take stern action against those responsible for polluting the environment,” said the commissioner.
Shaikh asserted that among other agendas, the new administration is eager to improve the law and order situation, control prices of essential commodities with magistracy powers and remove encroachments.
To a question about the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, the commissioner replied that the commissionerate system is an old system. “Therefore it is easy to understand for the masses, whereas the local bodies system is confusing. Public grievances remained unresolved in the district government system,” he added.
Appreciating the revival of commissionerate system, he said that it is the right time to restore the old system because the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 needed amendment as it lacked price control mechanism and basic coordination between the law enforcing agencies and the district administration required for that matter.
“The new administration has issued warnings to shopkeepers to mend their ways, otherwise they will be dealt strictly and fines would be imposed on the violators under the Price Control Act,” he said
Elaborating further, commissioner said five committees have been formed to find out a scientific solution for fixing price. They would furnish reports within days after which the prices of commodities will be controlled under the new pricing mechanism.
He said that so far more than 5,779 acres of encroached state land worth Rs 43 billion has been retrieved and more than 100 land grabbers have been arrested.
