Sindh CM pays surprise visit to Karachi's shopping areas

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday paid a surprise visit to busy shopping areas in Karachi to personally check commodities prices.

While paying surprise visit to busy shopping areas of Burns Road and Saddar, he said that he would not allow artificial price hike in the city. Therefore, the district administration has to be more active, vigilant and effective, he added.

He was accompanied by Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Commissioner Karachi Ejaz Ahmed Khan and Deputy Commissioner South.

The chief minister visited different nimko shops from where he purchased dahi baray at a rate of Rs250 per kg. On his arrival, the shopkeeper presented the rate list issued by the government. He advised the shopkeeper to keep his shop neat and clean.

He visited different shops and fruit vendors and mingled with them. One of the shopkeepers took him to a street where gutters were overflowing. The chief minister directed the commissioner Karachi to issue strict directives to DMC South to clean the area and open the choked gutters.

“This is unacceptable – the streets, roads and gutters are not cleaned unless the concerned local body is jolted,” he deplored and said he would visit this area again within next three days and would see the improvement.

He also met with a water melon pushcart vendor and asked him to show him the rate list. The vendor replied humbly that he had not received any rate list.

On this the chief minister expressing his displeasure directed the commissioner Karachi to ensure each and every shop, fruit and vegetable stall or push cart vendor must have rate list with him, otherwise action would be taken against the concerned officer.

The chief minister visited different shops, streets and met with the people present there and took selfies with them and heard their issues. They welcomed him on his visit to old area of the city.

Later, Murad Ali Shah went to Saddar and visited a bakery, met with pushcart fruit vendors and discussed their issues with them. He heard them patiently and assured them that he would be visiting them off and on.

The CM directed Commissioner Karachi to expedite the construction of under construction roads of Saddar. “This is very important area and must be properly maintained,” he said.

He was told by the shopkeepers that the slow construction of roads has caused serious problems for them. The dust keeps flying in the air with the movement of the traffic. The chief minister assured them that the work would be completed very soon.

Murad Shah complained with the shopkeepers that they were throwing their trash on the road while the solid waste management has put their dustbins near their shops and pushcarts on the road. “This is our collective responsibility to keep our city clean.”