KARACHI (Dunya News) - Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan’s Emir Munim Zafar has said that nine town chairmen of the party have filed a petition against the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board.
Speaking to media outside the Sindh High Court, Munim Zafar said that solid waste management powers should be transferred to town and union councils.
He added that over the past 18 years, the provincial government has brought several institutions including mass transit and SBCA under its control, while even the sanitation department under KMC has been shut down.
He said that the condition of the city is continuously worsening, and the core function of solid waste management—collecting garbage and transporting it to landfill sites—is not being properly performed. He alleged that the government has failed to restore infrastructure and improve the sanitation system.
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Munim Zafar stated that the Solid Waste Management Board has failed to fulfill its responsibilities, adding that despite Rs29 billion spent on a World Bank-funded waste-to-energy project, no clear improvement is visible. He said garbage piles are present across the city and dumping sites near Lyari River are causing diseases in nearby residential areas.
He further said that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board was given an additional grant of Rs12 billion last year, while despite monthly spending of Rs1 crore per union council, no practical results are visible.
He claimed the city has been turned into a garbage dump and corruption is ongoing between different institutions.
Munim Zafar demanded that the Solid Waste Management Board be dissolved and its powers transferred to towns and union councils, all contracts be terminated, and a 12-year audit be conducted. He said the party has approached the court for citizens’ rights and the movement will continue.
Responding to a question, he rejected allegations against the Karachi mayor regarding awarding contracts to preferred contractors, saying that Jamaat-e-Islami town chairmen completed tender processes through proper advertisements.
He added that SSGC has also signed agreements with towns for development work, while construction of thousands of streets is underway in Landhi and New Karachi.