Baqar Decides To Appoint Municipal Magistrates, Directs SSWMB For Recovery From SITE Association

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar presiding over a meeting of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) took important decisions including appointment of municipal magistrates and inspectors in the city

KARACHI, (UrduPoint/APP - UrduPoint / UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Sept 30, 2023) :Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar presiding over a meeting of Sindh Solid Waste Management board (SSWMB) took important decisions including appointment of municipal magistrates and inspectors in the city, recovery of SSWMB’s outstanding dues against industrialists and ordered an inquiry into the allotment of a plot to a private person in the area reserved for Landfill Site at Jam Chakro.
He also directed the local government and other departments to install cameras to monitor the ongoing work and inspections of all the mega projects and keep their recording to verify lapses, inefficiencies, and negligence.

“I want the senior officers must set up their camp offices at the sites to monitor the performance of the ongoing works,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Minister Local Govt Mubin Jumani, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Hassan Naqvi, Secretary LG Manzoor Shaikh, MD Sold Waste Management Imtiaz Shah, MD SWEEP Zubair Channa, MS KMC Afzal Zaidi and others here at CM House on Saturday.
MD SSWMB Imtiaz Shah briefing the CM said that there are three main tiers of solid waste management, including Front End Collection (residential, commercial, rural, industrial, and bulk municipal solid Waste)’ GTS/Middle-End Collection and landfill Site Operations.
The CM was told that the main components of the work scope stand assigned to front-end collection to contractors include Door-to-Door Collection & revamping of bins/containers, manual sweeping & mechanical Sweeping, Road Washing, Attending Community Bins (TDPs), public awareness, establishment of Scientific Command & Control System and Complaint Management System.
The CM said that he has visited the city twice but witnessed filth and garbage lying along the roads or in the greenbelt area.

He added that it was not acceptable, therefore the SSWMB must constitute teams to inspect cleanliness work weekly.
Baqar said that the contracting firms were charging huge amounts of money for the services they were bound to provide but due to the weak or absence of an inspection system, they were taking benefit.

He directed the local government dept to constitute the boards of SSMB on the provincial and divisional levels so that their work could be streamlined further.
MD SSWMB Imtiaz told the CM that solid waste management was being accrued out in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Larkana.

The CM directed him to ensure proper sweeping and garbage lifting there.
Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab pointed out that builders dump their debris along the road. The shopkeepers and household were also throwing their trash on the streets.
At this, the CM decided to appoint Municipal Magistrates and Inspectors so that they keep checking the cases of garbage throwing and dumping of debris on the road and penalize the delinquents.

He also said the magistrates would also be empowered to check the cases of wall chalking.
SITE Association owes Rs94m to SSWMB. The CM was told that the SSWMB entered into an agreement with the Korangi Association of Trade & Industry (KATI), Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA), Korangi Creek Industrial Park (KCIP) and SITE Association of Trade & Industry.
As per agreed arrangements, SSWMB is providing Front End Collection Services in KATI, Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA), Korangi Creek Industrial Park (KCIP), and SITE Industrial Area against payment of services charges.
The KATI, PTA & KCIP mostly abiding by their agreement are regularly paying service charges.

But, the SITE Association of Trade & Industry, however, deviated from their agreement and stopped making payments of accrued outstanding dues of Rs.94.752 million. Although the SSWMB provided them continuous eight months of services, including two months free of cost.
The CM directed the local government dept, MD SITE, and Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab to hold the SSWMB to recover its dues from the SITE Association.

The SSWMB has launched a Mobile Complaint System Helpline No. 1128 in Karachi. The complaints launched through mobile application are Geo-fenced and captures live pictures. Complaints are reported to CMS and are directly transferred to concerned staff (SSWMB Operational staff and Service Provider Staff – Supervisors).

The Company is mandated to respond to complaints in less than 8 hours. In case of delay, the penalty is charged to the company in monthly Bills.
SSWMB in collaboration with UKAID and TEARFUND (UK-based NGO) has installed two waste-to-compost plants in Karachi.

One plant has a capacity of 25 tons of compost daily and is functional at Baldia Town, and a Second plant with the same capacity has recently been installed at GTS Sharafi Goth Malir. This initiative would trigger similar facilities in the rest of the province of Sindh.
PD Solid Waste Emergency & Efficiency Project (SWEEP) Zubair Channa briefed the chief minister about the World Bank-sponsored project.

The project has been launched with the objectives of addressing the problems of urban flooding in Karachi, and transforming urban areas into eco-friendly sustainable cities, by curbing urban pollution through the proper transfer of waste.

And on top of it to improve Waste Collection, Transfer, and Disposal to landfills.
The CM was told that the preparation of the design of the Jam Chakro Landfill site was at an advanced stage.
Zubair Channa told the CM that a portion of land reserved for the Jam Chakro landfill site has been allotted to a private party.

The CM expressed his displeasure and directed the Board of Revenue to conduct an inquiry and report him.