CJP Nisar gives govt week-long deadline to clean Karachi

KARACHI: Expressing extreme displeasure over lingering civic-issues in Karachi, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday ordered the local authorities to clean the city within a week.

A three-judge bench, headed by the CJP, of Supreme Court was hearing a case on the interim report of Water Commission at Karachi Registry.

During the court proceedings today, Justice Nisar said the report is sufficient to draw the provincial government attention towards deteriorating drainage system in the city.

“The report is delineating the poor disposal sytem,” Justice Nisar noted.

He said the cleanliness in the city has been deteriorated with the passage of time and heaps of garbage could be seen across the city.

The CJP inquired Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar about his responsibility.

To which, the city mayor said the provincial government has assumed control of the local bodies and the success of the municipal administration was in fact the success of the provincial government but we cannot perform exemplary work with limited resources.

Justice Nisar then noted that the District Municipal Corporations (DMCs), under Sindh government, owe this responsibility to clean the city.

Sindh Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon agreed that around 4.6 tonnes of garbage has not been lifted up and some roads in the city have not been swept for last six months.

However, he claimed the disposal system has been improved.

At which, Justice Nisar remarked had the system improved, the situation would have been different.

The chief secretary said the provincial government has been making efforts and a change is underway.

The CJP then observed that an awareness campaign among the masses could help resolving the issue.