Day: December 20, 2020

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Mehran Express resumes service

KARACHI:Pakistan Railways resumed the Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas destined Mehran Express from City Railway station Karachi Sunday afternoon.

 

Sabir Qaimkhani, a federal lawmaker from NA-226 Hyderabad-II, saw off the passengers of this much-desired public facility. During the annual DS Special inspection of Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas section exactly two months back on October 20, the local citizens encircled the Divisional Superintendent Karachi Railways at every station requesting him for early resumption of train service in Mirpurkhas region as road transport fares had drastically soared in the wake of Corona pandemic.

 

The 149 Up/150 Dn Mehran Express will have a four-and-half hours total journey period for a distance of approximately 250 kilometers between Karachi City and Mirpurkhas, and vice versa, besides having eight enroute stoppages: Cantonment station, Drigh Road, Landhi, Jung Shahi, Kotri, Hyderabad, Tando Jam and Tando Allahyar.

 

The resumed train comprises nine economy class coaches and a brake van having a cumulative passenger carrying capacity of 734 people. The 149 Up departs at 3:55 pm from Karachi City Station whereas 150 Down departs at 5 am in the morning from Mirpurkhas.

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(CITY): Students demand opening of educational institutions in Sindh

LARKANA:Students of various educational institutions of Larkana held a large protest demonstration at Jinnah Bagh of the city on Sunday against closure of schools, colleges and universities across Sindh province on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic.

 

They were holding placards and shouting slogans against the provincial government which, according to them, was depriving them of their right to education on one pretext or the other.

 

Naveed Abbas Kalhoro, Ateeque Lashari, Aitzaz Gaincho, Mansoor Shah, Azam Shah, Aftab Chandio and others alleged that there was no coronavirus for PDM leaders who were constantly addressing huge political public gatherings across the country, but when the issue of opening educational institutions was brought forward the rulers always hidden their faces under the pandemic which was against the spirits of law of equity.

 

The leaders said the future of the young generation had been put at stake by the provincial government and education in Sindh was already at the verge of collapse due to worst mismanagement and bad governance. The participants said entire provincial cabinet was participating in PDM public meeting, but the Sindh government intended to produce blind, deaf, dumb and people without thinking, which they strongly condemned.

 

They said: “All shopping centres, hotels, shops are open and transport is also plying but only institutions which impart education have been forcibly locked for ulterior motives.” The protesters demanded immediate opening of schools, colleges, universities and libraries so that young people could be able to get education.

 

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Centre accused of creating gas shortage in Sindh

KARACHI:Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Spokesperson of Sindh Governments and Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister on Law, Environment and Coastal Development, said in a statement on Sunday that various areas across Sindh were being deprived of gas supplies amid severe cold.

 

He said that PTI should not sacrifice its biased policies to the people of Sindh. “The zealous people of Sindh are being punished for rejecting the elected government. The people of Sindh condemn the biased thinking of the PTI government,” he said.

 

“The federal government should overcome the gas crisis in Sindh, stop harassing the people of Sindh by creating gas shortage as citizens are suffering from incompetence of PTI government in cold weather. Ruthless and incompetent rulers do not care about the people,” he concluded.

 

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Minister follows zero-tolerance against illegal hydrants

KARACHI:Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has been strictly following the policy of zero-tolerance against the menace of illegal hydrants in Karachi.

 

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has been conducting an stern operation against the illegal hydrants in the city on the directives of the Sindh Local Government Minister, according to a statement issued on Sunday.

 

The KWSB following these directives of the Local Government Minister conducted one such raid late on Saturday night against the illegal hydrant near the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. The people involved in operating the illegal hydrant ran away from the site after seeing that the raiding team of the KWSB was approaching to take action against them.

 

The raiding team confiscated all the equipment used for operating the hydrant and also disconnected the illegal water connection present at the site for pilfering water from the line of KWSB. The Local Government Minister said in his message that the crackdown was on and would remain continue to take action against the elements that cause harm to the KWSB and were also responsible for water shortage in the city. He said the operation in this regard would continue indiscriminately without accepting any influence or giving favour to anyone. He said the people of Karachi would not suffer anymore due to the mafia involved in water pilferage.

 

The Local Government Minister recalled that special instructions were issued by the Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to take strict action to eliminate the mafia behind water stealing in Karachi by handing its members stern punishment.

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MAJU decides to launch new degree programs

KARACHI:Mohammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU), Karachi will launch new bachelors and masters degree programs of Biomedical Engineering, Information Security, Cyber Security, Islamic Finance and Banking and Entrepreneurship next year, according to a varsity statement issued on Sunday.

 

Online education will also be continued in the future besides conducting physical classes, it was decided at Academic Council meeting of the university, which Chaired by President, MAJU Prof Dr Zubair Shaikh at University campus.

 

Addressing Academic Council session, Dr Zubair Shaikh said that in order to meet international Job market demand by the youth, they had started graduation and post-graduation degree programs up to the international standard. He said that 16 years’ education for graduates and 18 years’ education for postgraduates is mandatory globally.

 

He said that online education and the use of technology in educational institutions had become very important all over the world, therefore, it had become very important for them to bring at par our education system in order to fulfill modern requirements so that students do not lag behind from anyone in the internationally.

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COVID-19 in Sindh claims 14 more lives, infects 737 others

KARACHI:Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that 14 more patients died overnight in Sindh, lifting the death toll to 3,333 and 737 new cases emerged when 9,322 samples were tested raising the tally to 204,840.

 

In a statement issued from CM House on Sunday, he said that 14 more patients died overnight lifting the death toll to 3,333 that constituted 1.6 percent death rate.

 

Shah said that 9,322 samples were tested which diagnosed 737 cases that constituted eight percent current detection rate. He added that so far 2,231,728 tests have been conducted against which 204,840 cases were detected, of them 88 percent or 180,730 patients have recovered, including 950 overnight.

 

The CM said that currently 20,777 patients were under treatment, of them 19,917 were in home isolation, 15 at isolation centers and 845 at different hospitals. He added that the condition of 743 patients were stated to be critical, including 77 shifted to ventilators.

 

According to the statement, out of 737 new cases, 542 have been detected from Karachi, including 169 each from South and East, 71 Korangi, 54 Central, 46 Malir and 33 West. Hyderabad has 54 cases, Jamshoro 17, Sujawal 13, Dadu 11, Shaheed Benazirabad 10, Badin seven, Thatta, Khairpur, Tando Mohammad Khan and Matiari six each, Larkana and Kambar five each, Mirpurkhas, Shikarpur, Umerkot, Sukkur and Naushehro Feroze four each, Tando Allahyar three, Jacobabad and Ghotki two each. The CM has urged people of the province to follow SOPs.

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Fisherfolk opposes commercial activities on Charna Island

KARACHI:Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, showing concern over commercial activities around Charna Island, has said that such activities that would endanger precious marine life were against the national and international laws.

 

Whales, dolphin, turtles and other marine life was available in abundant near Charna Island, so they should be saved by terming it marine protected area (MPA), demanded PFF Chairman Muhammad Ali Shah in a statement issued on Sunday.

 

Showing his concern on development of an LNG terminal on Charna Island, Shah said that such projects would prove disastrous for the island. He informed that there was a project to develop a pipeline from the old Mubarak Village to Charna Island. A fishermen village would suffer due to it and beautiful beach would become a dirty coast.

 

He called this project against humanity and environment. “The local fishermen have the first right on Charna Island, where they have been finding their livelihood since centuries. Now, fishermen of Sindh and Balochistan are being restricted from fishing near Charna Island,” he said.

 

Fishermen of Mubarak Village, Manjhar village, Allah Bano, Mann, Ghulam Gador village, Qadir Bux Gador village, Abbas Gador village and Hawks Bay’s old fishermen are not only denied fishing but they are also barred from anchoring at Charna Island.

 

He said Charna Island was property of fishermen of Balochistan and they would not let the federal government to occupy it forcefully. Calling development of LNG terminal on Charna Island illegal, Shah warned the federal government to stop such activities, accept fishermen’s right on this island and no construction activities be taken on.

 

He said that constitutional right of Sindh and Balochistan governments should be accepted on their islands and no new legislation be taken into account. “Basic facilities should be provided to old fishermen villages of Sindh and Balochistan and their livelihood should be protected,” he said.